


you're driving me wild

by prettyboykook



Series: love is so good when love is young [1]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Animal Shelter, Art Student Han Jisung | Han, Cats, Fluff, Implied Hwang Hyunjin/Yang Jeongin | I.N, Light Angst, M/M, Mentions of Blood, Minor Bang Chan/Kim Woojin, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Vet Nurse Lee Minho | Lee Know, Veterinary Medicine, basically self-indulgent garbage as an excuse to write about minsung with a kitten, but it's a kitten's blood, by that i mean jeongin has a crush on hyunjin lol, french translation available!, trigger warning for chapter 8
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-08-01 09:06:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 43,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16281704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettyboykook/pseuds/prettyboykook
Summary: The boy unzips his jacket, and Minho almost takes a step back instinctively — almost, because he's greeted with white fur and two wide, scared eyes. The boy has a kitten in there, soaked and shivering, but doubtlessly a kitten."Uhm," the boy says. "I kind of need your help."—Minho works at an animal shelter, and Jisung is just a guy who passes by everyday. They've never talked, or even met. Then, suddenly, because of a kitten and a late-night storm, they have.





	1. trying hard not to fall on the way home

**Author's Note:**

> i'm back after eight months with a work for a new fandom :-) i'm utter minsung trash so here's ... whatever this is. i hope you like it!
> 
> (also work and chapter titles are from wild by troye sivan)
> 
> wattpad user In_My_Little_World has translated this work into french! [here it is :)](https://www.wattpad.com/story/184862340-you%27re-driving-me-wild-%D0%BC%CE%B9n%D1%95%CF%85ng) thank you <3

Minho genuinely likes his job. It wasn't where he thought he would end up, back when he was five years old and dreaming about being an astronaut or a rock star or a fireman, though looking back at how he would quietly sit petting his cats for hours and spend his pocket money on feeding stray dogs, the signs were there. Minho has always liked animals, so when he was in university, staring at the choices for his course and with only a vague idea of what he would like to do with the rest of his life, he picked something that he thought he probably wouldn't hate: veterinary nursing. Maybe not the best decision to make impulsively, but Minho doesn't regret it. He likes where he is now, working at a shelter and making sure all the animals in their kennels get the care and attention they need.

What he doesn't like, however, is Chan's tendency to stick him behind the front desk when there's nothing for him to assist Woojin with. So _technically_ it's in his job description to field calls from concerned pet owners and the kind civilians who pick up strays off the streets, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't much rather be around the kennels, playing and feeding the animals like their part-time staff and volunteers do. This is a complaint he raises to Chan constantly, but the shelter head just rolls his eyes and tells him to get back to work. Chan also signs his paychecks, so he just has to sit patiently and wait until his front desk shift is over.

But then _he_ started appearing, and suddenly front desk duty isn't so bad.

The _he_ in question is this boy, with faded blonde hair and a smile like the sun, who started walking right past the shelter every afternoon since a month ago, right where Minho can see him through the glass door. He usually has his earphones plugged in, immersed in the music as he walks by, and he has never come into the shelter or even looked in Minho's direction. But sometimes, like today, him walking past coincides with the volunteers taking the dogs out for their evening walk, and-

Minho watches, albeit a little creepily, as an easy grin spreads across the boy's face at the sight of twenty or so hyperactive dogs pulling at their leashes, eager to explore the sidewalk and smell the fresh air. He slows and bends down to pet one of the few dogs patiently waiting by the volunteers' sides, talking to the handler as he strokes the top of her head. Minho can't tell what they're saying, but he likes to see how the boy's face lights up when the mutt turns her head and gives his hand an affectionate lick.

Another dog, an excitable pit bull that Minho treated just a few days ago, runs up to the boy, dragging his handler along and headbutting him in the knee. He pats the pit bull on the head, laughing, and Minho admires the glow of the evening sunlight against the curve of his mouth.

So maybe it's completely superficial and shallow. They've never spoken before, and Minho doesn't know a thing about his personality. He could be a total asshole with a soft spot for dogs. But Minho likes cute things, and who is he to deny himself of the simple pleasures in life?

"Yah, Lee Minho, are you doing your job or just staring out of the window?" Woojin's voice abruptly pulls Minho back into reality, where he has paperwork to complete and organise. The older is walking up to the front desk, a teasing smirk on his face. Minho, unable to deny that he was doing just that, glares at his hyung and asks, "Do you need something?"

"Yes, actually, you can finally feel useful. Can you pull up the file of that maltese-terrier mix we treated for kennel cough? I think that his code was D975," Woojin says, putting one hand on the back of Minho's chair and leaning over his shoulder. The younger quickly inputs it into the laptop in front of him, retrieving the medical records Woojin wants. "Lower his dosage of antibiotics, I checked him just now and he seems to be doing better. And put in a tentative date for neutering, three weeks from now."

"Oh, he's getting neutered? That's good, he can join the adoption kennels soon," Minho murmurs, diligently typing up Woojin's instructions.

"We still need Chan's approval, don't get excited for nothing," Woojin warns. Minho finishes keying in the last word and swivels around to face his hyung, an expectant smile on his face. "Speaking of Channie-hyung... Any plans for this weekend?"

Minho has known Chan for years; they were friends in high school, by no means close but friendly enough to say hi to each other in the hallways. They lost contact when they went to their separate universities, and it was only after Minho was close to completing his training as a vet nurse that he stumbled upon Chan's shelter and saw the job opening for his profession. As a freshly minted, newly employed vet nurse, Minho had become closer to his hyung than he was in high school. Because of that, he also knows about the year-long crush Chan has had on Woojin, and how he's been psyching himself up to ask the vet out for the past week. 

"What Chan and I do is none of your business," Woojin rolls his eyes, but Minho just stares at him silently until he relents. "Alright, _fine_ , we might be going to get dinner together on Sunday."

Minho pouts, disappointed. "But you always do that anyway! He did specify that it was a romantic dinner, right, not Chinese take-out at his apartment?"

"He was a blushing mess when he asked me about it, so yes, I assumed so," Woojin snorts. "What did you say to him to make him so nervous, you asshole?"

Minho thinks about the several mockingly lovey-dovey innuendos he's texted Chan over the last week, and bats his eyelashes innocently. "Absolutely nothing. Where's he taking you to?" 

"Unless you're planning to thirdwheel us, it's still none of your damn business," Woojin shoots back, already walking away to his own office. Minho huffs, shouting at his hyung's back, "You're no fun!"

All he gets in response is a, "Finish the paperwork before your shift is over!"

Minho turns back to the files in front of him, hiding a smile. He's secretly happy for his hyungs, and he knows that Woojin is excited for it too. He might seem like the most calm person on the outside, but he really can't hide his fondness for Chan. And, well, the several texts Chan has sent Minho detailing every little thing he likes about Woojin speak for themselves. 

He fills out a few forms before he remembers what he was doing before Woojin barged in, but when he looks up to check, the cute boy is already long gone.

☂

Minho rarely does the closing shift. Usually, he's out of the shelter by seven in the evening, back at his apartment in time for dinner. Sometimes, his roommate cooks, but most days both him and Changbin order in and watch Netflix as they eat. Even if he does stay at the shelter past sunset, Chan is usually there with him, vetting through paperwork as Minho sorts through the medical records. He always leaves earlier than Chan; he swears that man gets no sleep.

Today, however, Chan accidentally let slip that he was going over to Woojin's apartment after work, and Minho had practically shoved the both of them out of the shelter once Woojin's shift was over, promising that he would lock up properly before shutting the glass door in their faces. It's been a week since they first went out for dinner together (at an Italian restaurant, as Minho later found out), but it's been a busy week with a litter of newborn puppies being brought in for Woojin to look after and a stack of applications for Chan to look through. They've practically had no chance to be around each other, and Minho, a self-proclaimed love expert, mentally decided that the two of them needed a break to just chill together. 

It's nearing 10pm, and Minho has finished his rounds of the kennels, making sure all the water bowls are filled up and the animals who need it have taken their medicine. He makes his way back to the front of the shelter, absentmindedly thinking about his shift tomorrow. He knows Chan usually stays for half an hour after he shuts the main lights off, just to make sure the animals settle in properly, so he sits at the front desk and takes out his phone, having finished his paperwork in the evening. The screen lights up with a new notification.

 **changbeanie baby**  
hyung, is your shift over yet?

**minhomo**  
no sorry hyung's staying late  
go ahead and eat if you haven't

**changbeanie baby**  
i got udon for you  
don't stay too late

Minho smiles at his phone; as much as Changbin likes to pretend he doesn't have feelings, he can't hide how he takes care of his friends. They were roommates in university, paired together by the automated system, and later, after Minho graduated and continued his mandatory training period as a vet nurse, and Changbin graduated with a degree in communications only to immediately find a job at a tattoo parlour, they decided it made sense to continue living together. Minho remembers how, when he would fall asleep at his desk studying after a day of training, he would wake up to find a blanket over his shoulders and a cup of coffee next to him. They both haven't really changed; on the days that Minho falls asleep while working at home, he wakes up still draped in a blanket and with a packed breakfast beside him. That's just how Changbin is, and Minho appreciates that about him.

He turns his phone off and sets it down on the desk, pillowing his head on his arms. The rain pattering on the pavement outside lulls him into a sleepy state. In his defense, it has been a pretty busy day, what with the surgery he assisted Woojin with and a handful of on-the-spot adoptions. Even so, he distinctly remembers that the cute boy didn't pass by in the evening. He walks past pretty much everyday, but on the days he doesn't, Minho always wonders where he goes. Maybe he's hanging out with his friends, or went to grab dinner with a girlfriend. Maybe he has to stay late for classes. Minho doesn't even know whether he's a student, though the notebooks and binders he sometimes carries would indicate so. The guy could totally be his hyung, though with squishy cheeks like that, it's hard to imagine him as anything but younger.

Minho doesn't even notice when his eyelids begin sliding shut, his train of thought slowly derailing as the rain provides the perfect soundtrack to soothe him to sleep.

 

Waking up in the middle of the night is always disorienting. It takes Minho a few seconds of blinking before his mind snaps back into focus and he remembers what he was doing before he fell asleep. According to his phone's display, he hasn't even been asleep that long, maybe twenty minutes at most. Rain is still falling outside, though it seems heavier now.

At first, Minho isn't really sure what woke him. He's a pretty heavy sleeper, and he rarely wakes up from his naps unprompted. Then, he hears it: a sharp rapping of knuckles against glass. His head snaps up, his gaze swinging over to the glass door, and he can make out a vague silhouette just outside the reach of the one desk lamplight he has on. He stands up, confused and kind of feeling like this is the perfect set-up for the opening of a slasher film, but he still walks over and unlocks the door, pulling it open towards him.

Standing outside is the cute boy he was just thinking about, wet hair plastered to his forehead and drenched all over, cradling something bundled in his waterproof windbreaker to his chest. Minho blinks once, twice, and thinks, _If he's hiding a knife I'm definitely dying tonight._

Not saying a word, the boy just unzips his jacket, and Minho almost takes a step back instinctively — almost, because instead of seeing a glint of metal, Minho is greeted with white fur and two wide, scared eyes. The boy has a kitten in there, also soaked and shivering, but doubtlessly a kitten.

"Uhm," the boy says. "I kind of need your help."


	2. i guess it's all working out, now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey this chapter is actually on time! i'm just as surprised as you are
> 
> warning for description of blood and wounds in general! this chapter will have a lot of dialogue and medical talk, yikes. tbh i don't really know what i'm doing bc i'm no med student but i tried to be as precise as possible when describing the treatment parts. sorry for any inaccuracies!

Minho blinks at the boy in front of him for a few seconds, his mind drawing a blank in this strange situation, before his common sense comes back to him and he quickly steps aside to let him inside, out of the rain. "Is the kitten a stray? Is it hurt?"

The boy nods, his lips pursed in a frown as his clothes drip water all over the tiled floor. "Yeah, I found her just by herself. She's been out in the cold for a while, I would think. And she has a cut on her underbelly, it looks pretty bad."

"Alright, could you wait here, uh-" Minho pauses, not sure how to address him. What does he even say? _Cute guy that I've creepily been staring at for the past month?_

"Jisung," the boy says, saving him the awkwardness of asking. Minho nods, already walking away towards their supplies room. "Okay, Jisung-ssi, just stand where you are, I'll get some towels to dry you off."

Minho finds the towels easily enough, though they have significantly less human-sized towels than pet-sized ones, and grabs a pair of Latex gloves too. He comes back out to find Jisung standing right where he left him, softly consoling the whining kitten, still zipped inside his jacket. He gestures for the other boy to follow him into the examination room. Minho flips the light switch as they enter, Jisung still trying to calm the obviously frantic kitten with hushed cooing. Light floods the room, glinting off the metal exam table and various medical equipment they've managed to cram into the area. 

"Could you put her on the table?" Minho directs, going over to the sink to wash and disinfect his hands. He hears the sound of the zipper as the tap water runs over his fingers, but when he turns around, the kitten is clinging onto the lining of Jisung's jacket, refusing to get onto the table and crying at top volume. This does, however, allow Minho to see the wound Jisung was talking about. He inhales sharply when he sees the pus and dried blood matted into the fur of the kitten's stomach, but slips on the gloves, picks up one of the smaller towels and walks over. Wrapping the towel around his hands, he scoops the kitten up by her abdomen, trying to ignore her as her yowling climbs to an earsplitting high, and detaches her from Jisung's jacket before depositing her on the exam table.

"I need to examine her, since she's been out in the rain for an unknown period of time. Depending on how bad her condition is, I may have to call in a vet," Minho tells Jisung, gently holding the kitten in place in case she tries to slip away. Jisung gapes for a few moments before blurting, "You're not a vet?"

"No, I'm a vet nurse. Why, do I look all professional with these gloves?" Minho laughs a little, pulling the tray of medical equipment closer to him. The tips of Jisung's ears turn red, and Minho really should be focusing on the kitten in front of him, but he can't help but notice how adorable that is. "No, it's just- you seemed so confident and on top of your shit. I mean, I basically showed up without warning at 10 at night, a injured cat in my arms, and you got straight to business."

"That's just my naturally self-assured and capable personality," Minho deadpans, in an effort to lighten the atmosphere. It seems to work, because Jisung laughs, and Minho hides his own smile as he begins examining the kitten. He checks her respiratory rate and the state of her muscles, then her pupils for dilation. Everything seems normal enough, other than her shivering, so he moves on to the gash on her underbelly, gingerly ghosting his fingers over the affected area as he scrutinises it. 

"Okay so, good news, despite her stint in the rain, she's not showing any of the usual signs of hypothermia, so she should be in the clear for that," Minho informs Jisung. " _But_ , bad news, that cut seems to be infected, judging by the pus and abscess on her skin. Where did you find her?" 

"In a drain. I was walking past when I heard meowing, so I lifted up the drain cover to take a look. I don't know how, but somehow she got herself into one of the narrower pipes, and when she tried to crawl out, the cut probably scraped against something and the pain stopped her from trying to get out. It took a while, but I eventually picked her up by the front of her underbelly and pulled her out of there."

"Contact with the dirty pipe is possibly the cause of the infection," Minho grimaces. "I will have to remove any foreign materials and clean the wound with antiseptic, but I need to call my vet first. Protocol, and all that. Could you just hold her through the towel and make sure she doesn't make a break for it? She seems to be calming down anyway."

Jisung takes over for Minho at the table, and the latter sheds his gloves before retrieving his phone from the front desk and dialing Woojin's number. The line rings twice, before it connects and Woojin's hushed voice filters through the speakers. "Minho? What's going on?"

"Crazy story, but a dude just showed up at the shelter with an injured kitten, and I need your assessment before I do anything," Minho briefly summarises the night's events. "Wait, why are you whispering?"

"Chan fell asleep on my lap while watching a show _he_ recommended, and I'm trying not to wake him," comes the reply. Minho stifles a snort. "Also, what? Did you conduct an examination already?"

"Yes, her respiration rate is a little high, but that might be due to the panic. No rigidity in her muscles, loss of consciousness or dilated pupils. Other than shivering, she's not showing any symptoms of hypothermia," Minho rattles off her stats easily. "But, she has a laceration along the right side of her underbelly, maybe five centimeters across, with discharge and an abscess. Definitely showing signs of infection. She doesn't look older than eight weeks old, too."

Woojin sighs down the line. "Shit. Alright, run a warm water bath for her, then dry her off. Clean the laceration with antiseptic solution, then bandage it, you know the drill. I'll come in tomorrow morning and see whether I need to set up a Penrose drain for her."

"Got it, boss," Minho affirms. He can't resist cheekily teasing, "Take good care of Chan-hyung! Sleep well, lovebirds."

"Take your job seriously for once and go treat your patient," Woojin snarks back, but Minho can practically hear his embarrassment through the phone. He hangs up and walks back into the examination room, resuming what he was doing. The kitten seems to have tired herself out, not putting up much of a fight as she stands in the water bath to warm up and is dried with the towel. She does have her share of complaints when it comes to her first meeting with antiseptic, hissing and whining every time the solution touches the open wound. In his periphery, Minho can see Jisung shrink towards the corner of the room, wincing when he hears the kitten's pitiful whimpers. The process takes more than half an hour, given how much antiseptic solution is needed to treat a wound like that, and by the end of it Minho is more than happy to wrap the kitten's torso with gauze, if at least so that her cries will quieten down and he won't feel like actual Satan for doing his job.

Minho picks the kitten up, careful not to jostle the bandage, and turns back to Jisung, only now realising that the boy is still dripping rainwater into the puddle that's already formed around his feet. "Oh, dude, you might want to grab one of those towels. I'll go dig around for any spare clothes."

"Wait, you don't have to-" Jisung starts, but Minho has already left the room, kitten still in hand. She snuffles into his shirt as he looks into the storage closet, worn out from the big fuss earlier, and he hums under his breath to keep her calm. By the time he returns to the examination room, clothes slung over one shoulder, she's fallen asleep to the sound of his voice. He uses one hand to pass the clothes to Jisung, who's drying his hair with the towel and succeeding at ruffling it in an unfairly attractive way. Minho pretends not to notice how soft it looks, instead saying, "There's a washroom down the hallway, you can change there. Sorry we don't have any spare shoes."

"It's chill, thank you so much," Jisung sends him a grateful look and exits. Minho takes the chance to bring the kitten past the kennels, careful not to wake the sleeping animals up, all the way to the back, where their isolation room is located. Inside, one dog who recently underwent an amputation surgery is resting, and the litter of newborn puppies are napping in a pile in a separate kennel. He finds an empty kennel and places the kitten inside, making it more comfortable with a bed of towels and filling her water bowl. He leaves her to sleep with one last pat on her head, walking past the kennels and the examination room to find Jisung standing by the front desk, looking around uncertainly.

He's dressed in the clothes Minho gave him, a spare staff shirt from one of their adoption drives and an old pair of jeans that Minho keeps around in case of accidents (being a vet nurse, as he has learned, is messy). The shirt is too big on him, the sleeves almost reaching his elbows, and Minho is sure he owns one exactly like it. With his blonde hair still fluffy and clothes that could come straight out of Minho's closet, he looks entirely too soft to be healthy for the older boy's heart.

"Where did she go? Is she sleeping yet?" Jisung asks as soon as he notices Minho heading towards him. He answers that, yes, she's asleep in one of the kennels in the back. The other boy visibly relaxes, tension bleeding out of his shoulders, and Minho finds himself endeared by how obviously worried Jisung is for the kitten. Is there anything about this boy that isn't cute?

"Don't you need to get home? I'm guessing you don't have a car," Minho switches topics. Jisung shakes his head in response, like Minho thought he would. "I'd drive you, but my roommate took our car today. I'll walk with you, just give me ten minutes to clean up."

Minho goes back into the examination room, washing all the equipment he used to clean out the kitten's wound and disposing of the Latex gloves. He notices Jisung's jacket still on the exam table and grabs it for him on his way out, shutting off the hallway lights as he goes. After getting a hold of his phone and backpack from the front desk, he walks over to Jisung and hands his jacket over. "Hey, you left this inside," he says, then pauses when he sees the university emblem stitched onto the back. "You go to JYP?"

"Oh, um, yeah. I'm a senior there," Jisung tells him, slinging the jacket over his shoulder. Minho raises his eyebrows, impressed. JYP University of the Arts is a difficult college to get into, being prestigious and one of the few arts colleges in the country, and the courses are demanding and rigorous. It seems that Jisung has managed to survive long enough to graduate soon, which is admirable on its own. "That's cool, I know a few people who study there. What faculty?"

"Visual arts, but my specialisation is painting and sketching," Jisung says as they leave the shelter and Minho turns back to lock up. The rain is still coming down, though in gentle showers instead of torrents, so they huddle under the small roof of the patio until Minho digs an umbrella out of the depths of his bag. They start walking down the street, sharing the umbrella between the two of them.

"You probably don't know my friends then, they're in other faculties. Have you been doing art for very long?" Minho asks curiously. Jisung shrugs. "Pretty much my whole life. I only started taking it seriously in high school, though. It's kind of a miracle that my portfolio got accepted at all. Most of my classmates started preparing to enter JYP when they were in middle school."

That, Minho thinks, translates to Jisung almost definitely being gifted beyond words. He thinks about the numerous notebooks that he's seen Jisung carry as he walks past the shelter and wonders whether they contain drafts and sketches and colour palettes. "You must be really talented then. I heard my friends talk about how difficult the curriculum is for visual arts students."

"Ah, I'm really not that good. I spend a lot of time on redoing my pieces, that's all," Jisung blushes, waving a hand in embarrassment, only to snatch it back when he accidentally waves it too vigorously outside the range of the umbrella and gets his hand wet. Minho giggles, and maybe it's a trick of the bad lighting, but he thinks he sees Jisung's cheeks turn pinker.

"Is that why you're going home at this time of the night? Working on something at school?" Minho asks, his curiosity getting the better of him. He _had_ been wondering about this for the better part of a month, he assures himself, it isn't creepy at all.

Thankfully, Jisung seemed to think so too, nodding his head and huddling closer to Minho as a particularly strong gust of wind stains their clothes with stray raindrops. "Yeah, actually. There's some extra-credit stuff we can do to pull up our GPA, so I stayed late to ask my professor about how my piece is coming along and finish it up... and I didn't take note of the time. That happens a lot, actually."

Minho frowns. "That's not really healthy, is it? Have you even eaten dinner?"

Jisung squirms uncomfortably, which is all the answer he needs. Minho sighs and pulls Jisung into the nearest convenience store, leaving the umbrella outside and tugging him towards the freezer. "You and my friends are exactly the same. Come on, what kind of kimbap do you like?"

"Uh, tuna and kimchi?" Jisung stammers out, and Minho grabs some samgak kimbap of Jisung's preferred flavour from the freezer, wrapped cutely in triangles of seaweed, and two cartons of banana milk for good measure. He walks determinedly towards the cashier, all the while with Jisung tripping behind and protesting, "You don't even know me! You can't just buy me food like that!"

"If you saw a kid going hungry in the streets, would you just leave them to die?" Minho retorts, handing his purchases to a bored-looking cashier, who merely raises an eyebrow at the two of them before scanning his items and stating his total. Jisung sputters at the comment. "I'm not a kid! You don't know how old I am. And this situation is hardly comparable to starving homeless children!"

"I'm totally older than you, your height tells me so," Minho says, snickering, and pays quickly before Jisung can say anymore. They leave the store with Jisung's indignant "Yah! You're not much taller than me!" in response to Minho's jab at his height. Minho just rolls his eyes and shoves the food into Jisung's arms. "I was born in '98. That's earlier than you, right?"

There's only silence from Jisung's end, who just sulks at the small pile of food he's suddenly acquired. Minho laughs and picks up the umbrella again. "See? I knew it. When were you born?"

"2000," Jisung answers, still pouting. Minho pats the top of his head and begins walking off, slowing his footsteps until Jisung drops his act and hurries under the umbrella, next to him. "Just be a good kid and accept this kindness from your hyung, yeah?"

"Still not a kid," Jisung retaliates, then, quieter, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Minho plucks one of the banana milk cartons from the top of the pile and fumbles with it until he can get the straw in. They walk in silence for a little while, Minho sipping at his banana milk and Jisung balancing the kimbap triangles in his hands, until the younger boy suddenly speaks up again. "I'll find some way to pay you back next time."

Minho raises his eyebrows and chances a look at the boy next to him. "Next time?"

"Well, yeah, I'm gonna visit the kitten as soon as I can," Jisung says, then backtracks. "Unless I can't? Is it allowed?"

"Yeah, no worries, you totally can. She needs to get used to people as soon as possible. Just ask for Minho if I'm not at the front desk when you come in, someone will fetch me," Minho tells him. He sees Jisung mouth his name to himself, like he's trying to commit it to memory, and hides a smile. Cute.

"That's good. I would hate to have to break into your shelter to visit her, because trust me, I definitely would," Jisung jokes. They share a laugh before Minho realises they're nearing the bus stop, from which he needs to take a bus home. "Well, this is me. Are you walking the whole way home?"

Jisung nods. "I'll see you soon?"

"Yeah, see you," Minho says, coming to a halt under the shelter of the bus stop. Jisung smiles at him, leaving a last word of thanks before starting to walk off. Impulsively, Minho grabs his shoulder. "Wait!" He hands Jisung his umbrella. "Take this too, you'll get sick if you walk out in the rain even more."

"Are you sure?" Jisung asks him, trying to juggle his food with one arm while holding the umbrella with the other. He barely succeeds. Minho nods, "Yeah, you can return it to me when you next come into the shelter. I'll be out of the rain for the rest of my way home, anyway."

(That's a lie. There's a five-minute walk from the bus stop he gets off at to his apartment without any shelter, but Minho can just run, right?)

"Okay, then. Thanks for all of this, Minho-hyung. I'll see you soon!" Jisung gives him a little bow before walking away, the umbrella balanced against one shoulder. Minho watches his silhouette disappear into the streetlight-lit darkness, until yellow headlights cut through the rain and he's alerted to the arrival of his bus. He sighs as he boards, mentally preparing himself for the rush to get home without getting too soaked, but thinking of Jisung, dressed snugly in borrowed clothes and with a pile of kimbap and banana milk in his arms, he thinks it's probably worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp there's that i hope you liked the Soft Minsung Content hehe :))) minho being kind and not his actual demon self? i know, i'm shocked (i say this but i actually l*ve him)
> 
> idk if anyone actually reads my end notes but less than 24 hours until i am you drops!! if you're reading this after the album release feel free to scream in the comments :D i probably will in the next update's notes lmao


	3. too long since i've been a fool

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow the response to the last chapter was unexpected! we're almost at 100 kudos, thank you for all your support and love :") i appreciate every single kudos, comment and subscription
> 
> on another note, i wasn't going to post a chapter today. i'm still sad over me not getting tickets to one of my ult group's concerts, and i thought it would be unfair to give you guys a badly-written chapter because i'm upset. but i managed to finish this chapter, so forgive me if the standard isn't up to par with the other chapters. those damned emotions am i right? haha (pain)
> 
> oh well on with the chapter ~

The first thing Minho sees upon walking into the shelter is Woojin at the front desk, which makes his eyebrows disappear into his hairline. Woojin never works front desk duty; Minho has accused Chan of favouritism on several occasions, but the reality is that vets don't handle the records, the vet technicians (well, the one and only vet tech, in this case) and occasionally part-time staff do. Woojin writes up medical reports but it's up to Minho to make sure they're logged in properly.

"Hi hyung," he greets, coming to a stop in front of the front desk. "Are you trying to steal my job from me this early in the morning?"

Woojin just rolls his eyes at him, not even bothering to stop his typing as he replies dryly, "I'm perfectly happy with my own job, thanks, but it seems someone forgot to key in a new entry for a certain cat last night. One of the part-timers walked into isolation to feed the dogs inside and came out saying one of the kittens had escaped into that room, except our shelter had no records of any kittens. Care to explain?"

Ah. Shit. He had been so distracted by getting the kitten cleaned up and walking Jisung back that the normal procedure had completely slipped his mind. Minho smiles weakly, offering a shrug in place of a legitimate reason. "Sorry, I forgot last night...?"

"You're a disaster, Lee Minho," Woojin sighs, but he saves the entry for a new occupant in the shelter and looks up at his dongsaeng. "You good? You don't look like you slept a lot."

"Well...." Minho bites his lip. He hadn't exactly gotten home early the night before, and he still had Changbin's udon (it was cold, but he still appreciated the gesture) to eat before he washed up and went to bed. He isn't used to taking the night shifts, and he hadn't taken into account the fact that he would still have to wake up at 7am when he'd all but forced Woojin and Chan to let him lock up. Woojin's right, he really is a disaster.

"It wouldn't have anything to do with that boy, right? I know your type, and he's totally it," Woojin says, smirking. Minho blinks at him. "Wait, what boy?"

"He came in just now, asked for you. He's the one who came in with the kitten, if I'm not wrong, 'cause he asked to see her too," Woojin tells him casually. Minho's jaw threatens to hit the floor. "He's _here_? It's nine in the morning!"

"He just got here fifteen minutes before you, chill. I took the kitten out of isolation, they're in the examination room," Woojin says, looking amused. He nudges Minho in the shoulder as he passes, walking back towards his office. "Stop bothering me and go see your loverboy."

"I hope you choke on Chan-hyung's spit," Minho mutters, but he follows through with Woojin's words anyway, something in his gut tugging him towards the examination room. He peeks into the room, not making a sound, and the sight that greets him ignites a warmth in his chest. Jisung sits in a chair he must have dragged from some corner, the kitten tucked into a thick blanket on his lap. She keeps trying to climb out of the blanket burrito, mewing softly at him, but every time she tries he just laughs, eyes curved into crescents and gummy smile in full force, and strokes her ears until she settles down and leans into his touch instead. "Byeollie, stop struggling," he tells her as she headbutts his palm, not sounding even remotely stern. "You're just going to hurt yourself like this."

"So, you've named her," Minho finally says, stepping into the room. Jisung startles, his hands automatically cradling the kitten protectively, but he relaxes when he realises it's Minho, walking towards him with a bright smile. "Byeol? That's cute."

"I've been calling her that since last night, actually," Jisung says, giving an embarrassed laugh. The older boy bends down so that Byeol can sniff his hand, and she nuzzles at his fingers before turning her attention back to Jisung, meowing until he starts stroking her ears again. Minho leans back against the exam table, fixing his gaze on the boy in front of him. "You're here early. I didn't think you'd come back so soon."

"I wasn't planning on it either, but I was worried about her this morning, so I thought I would drop by before my lecture," Jisung replies, then changes the subject. "Do you have any way of tracking her owner? I don't know, like a microchip or something."

Minho sighs, his face falling. "That's usually how we would get information about a cat's owner, yeah, but I don't think she has one. I could scan her just in case later, but I doubt anyone cared enough about her to chip her. She looks about eight weeks old, barely old enough for her mother to let her out of sight. For a kitten this young to be roaming the streets by herself, she was probably born a stray, or someone abandoned her entire litter and she was lucky enough to survive. She's likely to be staying with us a while, for her injury to heal up, before we can put her up in the adoption kennels."

"Oh," Jisung says, looking a little sad, but also relieved. "It's alright, I'll visit her so much she won't be lonely."

Minho snorts. "I believe you will. Our part-timers will probably hyperventilate when she's well enough to play with them, we haven't had a kitten in our shelter for a while."

There's a soft knocking on the door, and Minho twists his body to see Woojin standing at the entryway, already dressed in his scrubs and white coat. "Sorry to interrupt, but I'm going to have to run a couple more medical tests on the kitten." He directs his eyes towards Minho. "I looked her over when I came in this morning, and she's probably going to need a Penrose drain. Can you get changed and go check on the retriever in isolation?"

"Can do, boss," Minho complies. Jisung passes the kitten over to Woojin and they leave the vet to do his job in peace, walking the short distance back to the front desk together. They stop just before the glass door, Jisung picking up his backpack from where he left it near the exit. Minho teases, "I have a feeling I'll be seeing you a lot."

"You can count on it," Jisung smiles back, then his eyes dart back towards the examination room. Minho laughs, gently pushing Jisung out of the door. "She's in good hands, okay? Don't worry. Byeol and I aren't going anywhere. You, however, should get to class."

Jisung puts his hands up in surrender, slinging the strap of his backpack over his shoulder and jogging off. He turns back to wave at Minho and shout, "See you soon, hyung!"

Minho cups his hands around his mouth. "Looking forward to it!" He calls back.

☂

The bells hung around the handle jingle as Minho pushes the door open, stepping into the cafe and breathing in the aroma of black coffee and sugary icing. The interior is well-lit and warm, a blessing after walking from the shelter in the biting autumn air, and it seems everyone had the same desire to get out of the cold, judging by the long line of customers snaking in front of the register. Minho can see Hyunjin and Seungmin busying themselves with taking orders and preparing drinks, and decides not to bother them just yet, instead looking around the cafe until his eyes land on a familiar face.

"How's my favourite dongsaeng?" Minho says as he settles in the seat across from his friend. Jeongin looks up from the textbooks and notes spread out over the table, his lips stretching into a smile. "Hyung! I didn't notice you coming in."

"Obviously. Ooh, did you draw these yourself? They're good." Minho leans over to take a look, peering at the multiple diagrams of marine animals labelled with Latin names he isn't familiar with. 

Minho has been friends with Jeongin since the younger boy was a freshman at their university. They took a literature course one semester to fulfill the elective requirements for graduation, except Jeongin was smart enough to get it out of his way in his first year and Minho only got around to it in his last, and did a graded project together. Even though they were a veterinary technology and marine biology student, studying fields that were somewhat-but-not-quite similar, they were close friends through the rest of the year and after Minho graduated. Now, even with Jeongin's heavy workload as a junior in university and Minho's full-time job, they still try to make time and hang out with each other.

"I've got a test in four days, and my professor informed us that there will be this entire chapter nobody studied for included in the paper, so yeah, my week is going well." Jeongin rubs his eyes and yawns, then begins to tidy up the notes and books strewn all over the surface of the table. Minho pats his arm in sympathy, noticing that the line for ordering has thinned considerably. He smirks at Jeongin as the younger boy packs all of his study materials into his bag. "Do you wanna take a closer look at the only reason we come here every time we meet up, or should I order for us both?"

Jeongin scowls at him, even as his cheeks flush pink, but he can't resist peeking over at the counter to see Hyunjin working the register and smiling charmingly at every customer. He turns back to Minho with his face even redder, and the older boy laughs at him, earning him a kick to the shins. "Don't bully me," Jeongin pouts. "You know I can't go up and talk to him when he's wearing _that_."

"What do you mean, Innie?" Minho snickers, feigning ignorance. "Is it the black button-up with the top button undone? Or those ripped skinny jeans? Oh my God, is it the _half apron_?"

Jeongin buries his face in his hands. "I hope you know you're going to hell when you die." His voice is muffled, but the thinly-veiled embarrassment comes through loud and clear.

"Maybe they'll look favourably upon me after I do this act of service for you," Minho replies breezily, standing up and grabbing his wallet. The line is way shorter now, and he only has to wait for three people to place their orders before it's his turn. He steps up to the counter, smiling fondly. "Hi, Hyunjinnie."

"Hey, hyung! I didn't know you were coming today," Hyunjin beams at him, turning and calling out to Seungmin. "Yah, Seungminnie, Minho-hyung is here!" Seungmin looks up from where he's preparing someone's caramel macchiato and greets his hyung, looking like a puppy as he smiles. 

"Did you bring Jeongin today? I rarely see you without him around here," Hyunjin asks. Minho nods and points out where they're sitting. Jeongin ducks his head when he notices Hyunjin is looking in his direction and caught him staring, and it takes him a few seconds to look up and realise that Hyunjin is waving hello. The maknae's face is roughly the same colour as a red stoplight, even at this distance, but at least he's got enough sense in him to wave back.

"I'll just get our usual coffee orders, and a slice of cheesecake." Minho digs a ten thousand won note out of his wallet and hums as he waits for Hyunjin to find his change. The younger boy drops the coins in Minho's open palm, beaming. "You can go back to your table, hyung. I'll bring everything over for you."

"Oh, wait- Hyunjin, you don't have to-" Minho begins to protest, but Hyunjin waves him off. "My and Seungmin's shift ends soon, anyway, our co-workers should be coming in to take over for us. We haven't talked in a while, I want to catch up!"

Minho feels his resolve melt away at the sweetly earnest smile on his dongsaeng's face. He agrees, and Hyunjin turns away to start making their drinks, leaving him to walk back to his and Jeongin's table. In the short distance back, Minho observes that Jeongin doesn't take his eyes off Hyunjin's back for a second. Amused, he slides into his seat. "Earth to Yang Jeongin," he says, snapping Jeongin back to the present. He wiggles his eyebrows. "Like what you see?"

"Hyung," Jeongin complains, his voice whiny and pained. His eyes are filled with dismay. "How is he so _pretty_?"

"I know, I know," Minho says consolingly, patting Jeongin's hand in sympathy. "It used to drive Changbin crazy when Hyunjin visited in university and we all went out to get lunch, because people would stare and whisper wherever we went. One time, our server flirted with him for the entirety of our meal and kept interrupting our conversation, and Binnie got so fed up he "accidentally" spilled his water all over her shirt."

Minho thought that maybe Changbin would have been used to it, the stares and people hitting on Hyunjin, given that they were childhood friends. For a while, Minho suspected that Changbin had a crush on Hyunjin and was acting out of jealousy, but Hyunjin got a girlfriend in Minho's third year of university and Changbin still acted exactly the same, except that instead of telling people to leave them alone, his automatic response was to coldly announce that Hyunjin was taken and then drag the younger boy away. Minho dropped it after that, taking Changbin's behaviour as over-protective pseudo-older brother tendencies. Then Hyunjin had walked into their shared dorm early in Minho's last year of university, when Jeongin had come over so that they could work on their project, sniffling and in tears after breaking up with said girlfriend. Minho had taken one look at the terrified and dazed expression on Jeongin's face, part _oh no I have no idea who this dude is but he's crying and I don't know how to deal with crying people_ and part _holy shit he's so hot_ , and thought, _Well, this is gonna be interesting_.

"So all you're telling me is I'm exactly like the rest of the student populace and everyone is in love with Hyunjin-hyung," Jeongin grumbles.

"Pretty much, yeah. It seems like only Seungmin, Changbin and I are immune to the Hwang Hyunjin charm." Minho shrugs. He sees his two dongsaengs heading over from the counter, hands full with their order, and mutters a quick, "Incoming."

"What- Oh. Um." Jeongin snaps his mouth shut as Hyunjin comes to a stop at their table, oblivious to Jeongin's nervousness. He places their coffees and cake on the table. "Two iced Americanos and one slice of cheesecake!" He says brightly.

"Uh, cheesecake?" Jeongin looks at Minho, and the older boy shrugs. "It seemed like you deserve a treat after telling me about your test. It's hyung's treat."

"Oh, is school keeping you busy, Jeonginnie?" Hyunjin asks. Jeongin flushes at the nickname but stutters out an answer about a confusing syllabus and an upcoming graded assignment while Seungmin pulls two chairs over from an unoccupied table for him and Hyunjin to sit. Minho looks at the blush climbing up Jeongin's ears and decides to lead the conversation, sparing him the embarrassment. A question floats to the front of his mind and he blurts it out without any further consideration.

"Hey, do you guys know a guy called Jisung? He goes to JYP."

Seungmin and Hyunjin exchange a glance. "Which Jisung? There are a few," Seungmin asks.

Minho falters when he realises he doesn't know Jisung's surname. "Uh, he's the same age as you two. Blonde hair, squishy cheeks, kind of short? He's in the visual arts faculty, if it helps."

"Oh! Han Jisung then, probably," Seungmin's eyes light up in recognition. Hyunjin snorts. "Definitely Han Jisung. Do you know any other Jisung's who are art geniuses?"

"He's a genius?" Minho leans forward, interested. He had his suspicions about Jisung's talent before, but to hear it confirmed by JYP students is something else entirely. Hyunjin nods. "Oh yeah, everyone knows about it. I heard that he's a scholarship student, actually. Full-tuition scholarship."

"He's good enough to be in almost every art showcase the school puts up, even when we were freshmen," Seungmin agrees. "Everyone's heard of him, even in the different faculties."

"So he's popular, then," Minho says, mostly to himself, but Hyunjin still hears him.

"He's well-liked and everyone knows of him, but nobody really knows him. He doesn't really socialise much; I've never seen him at any school events other than the ones that are mandatory. It seems like he spends all his time in the visual arts block, doing his homework or finishing another painting," Hyunjin says. "He's a nice guy, he just doesn't talk to people."

"As far as I know, he only has one friend who he's really close to, this guy called Felix. I mean, Felix is kind of friends with everyone on campus, every person I've spoken to likes him. With the exception of Hyunjin here." Seungmin nudges his friend with his shoulder.

"I don't _not_ like him, I just- don't really talk to him. It's complicated." Sensing Hyunjin's discomfort, Jeongin changes the subject, directing his question towards Minho. "Why the sudden interest, hyung? I've never heard you talk about this guy before."

Minho scratches the back of his neck. "Well, a few nights ago, he found this kitten and brought it to the shelter. I noticed he's from JYP, so I wanted to ask you guys about him. Weird, he's kind of loud and chatty, not like the introvert you described."

"Wow, hyung, you've been paying a lot of attention to him, huh," Seungmin says, grinning, and Hyunjin giggles. Minho sees Jeongin stifle a laugh behind his hand from the corner of his vision. He rolls his eyes playfully, reaching forward to swat at Seungmin's shoulder. "Shut your mouth, Kim Seungmin, I literally just met him less than a week ago. It's not like that."

The conversation turns towards other things, with Hyunjin complaining about his workload as a dance major and Seungmin retaliating with a detailed list of all his assignments from his vocal teacher, Jeongin chipping in occasionally with things like _Have you ever had to dissect a squid, hyung? Yeah, I thought not._ Minho joins in, lamenting the pains of a full-time job. They talk until Jeongin has finished his cheesecake and their coffee cups are filled only with melting ice, and the whole time, Jisung remains as a thought at the back of Minho's head. He thinks about what he said, and wonders: if it's not like _that_ , then what, exactly, are they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jeongin is me whenever i have a crush lmao once my crush called me a nickname and i proceeded to have a meltdown on twitter 
> 
> also byeol means star in korean! i totally didn't name her that because minsung shippers are called moonsuns what are you talking about ;-) you can click [here](https://youreinlcve.tumblr.com/post/177350151615) to see a visualisation of her


	4. still too long to the weekend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a few hours ago, stray kids won best new male artist at mga, so here's a new chapter to celebrate! i'm so proud of them, they totally deserve it :")
> 
> sorry this is late, i did warn you guys :( all the chaos last week drained my energy but i hope this chapter is up to standard? i made it sorta fluffy uwu enjoy ~~

Jisung doesn't drop by everyday, but it's close. Some days he stays on campus to finish his assignments; Minho always knows when, because he still looks out for the cute blonde-haired boy during his evening shifts spent seated at the front desk. The difference is that now Minho texts Jisung with something like:

**minhomo**  
don't stay back too late  
and get something to eat  
on your way back

And four hours later Jisung will reply:

 **han squirrel**  
oops  
i didn't see this, sorry hyung ((´д｀))  
i got dinner though!  
if instant ramyeon counts  


And Minho will sigh at his phone and send back an angry emoticon, but the next day there'll be a home-cooked meal packed in a Tupperware waiting for Jisung in Minho's bag.

At some point in the three weeks it's been since Jisung brought Byeol to the shelter, Jisung started bringing his assignments to do in the shelter. Minho doesn't have his own office — he does most of his work at the front desk, after all — so Jisung drags a chair over while Minho updates the shelter records and they do their work in companionable silence. Chan has walked in on Jisung sitting next to Minho several times, and while it's technically against the rules to let unauthorised people near the medical records, he lets it slide. More often than not Jisung finds a way to sneak Byeol out of her kennel and into his lap to act like a hot water bottle. Now unhindered by her healed injury, she's practically fearless, always trying to run away and jump off high surfaces. Jisung is the only one who can get her to curl up in his lap quietly.

"Hey," Chan says, poking his head in to check up on them. Minho puts a finger to his lips, unnecessarily, because Chan can see what's happening as clear as day, if the shit-eating grin on his face is any indication. Jisung's laptop sits on the table in front of him, the cursor blinking on his unfinished essay. He'd started falling asleep twenty minutes ago, leaning towards Minho and jerking himself awake before his head eventually fell on Minho's shoulder and he stayed asleep. The older boy had just let it happen, careful not to jolt his shoulder too much as he typed; he knew Jisung didn't get enough sleep. Life of a college student, and an art major to boot.

"You're so soft for him," Chan teases, but his voice is hushed. He drops it when Minho glares at him, walking to the front desk and leaning against it. "It's almost your lunch break, by the way. If you want, you and Jisung can join me and Woojinnie. We're getting sushi."

"Gross. You know I hate third-wheeling." Minho pulls a face, but his expression morphs into something more contemplative. "... But sushi does sound good."

"Your choice. I'm gonna get Woojin, we'll be out in five minutes," Chan shrugs, walking back towards the kennels. He mutters something that sounds suspiciously like _it's not third-wheeling if you have your own date_ , but Minho chooses to ignore it. Again, Chan signs his paychecks.

"Jisung, wake up," he murmurs, shaking Jisung lightly. The younger boy hums but doesn't stir otherwise, so Minho takes it up a notch. He blows in Jisung's ear, hoping that he'll be annoyed enough to wake up, but all he does is make a (stupidly adorable) irritated noise and bury his face deeper into Minho's shoulder, his breath warm against Minho's neck. 

_Good grief, I'd hate to see him trying to wake up for his 7am lectures,_ Minho thinks, rolling his eyes, but he makes one more attempt. He picks a sleeping Byeol up from Jisung's lap and relocates her to the desk, the kitten snuffling and shooting him a disgruntled look, but otherwise she stays quiet and obediently curls up on the table surface to resume her nap. Then he leans over until his lips are hovering over Jisung's ear — and in his best impression of the twins from _The Shining_ , he whispers, "Come play with us."

Jisung yelps loudly, his eyes flying open, and he almost falls off his chair. Almost, because he knocks his temple against Minho's forehead and the contact stops him mid-fall. Minho takes one look at Jisung's face and immediately bursts into laughter.

"Hyung!" Jisung pouts, massaging the side of his head with his fingers, as Minho dissolves into giggles, one hand rubbing the sore spot on his forehead. "You're so mean! I trusted you enough to tell you about watching _The Shining_ , and this is how you repay me?"

"It isn't _that_ scary," Minho laughs. Jisung shakes his head vehemently with horror-struck eyes. "If you're such a scaredy-cat then you really shouldn't have watched it."

"You know Felix forced me to," Jisung mutters. "Said there was something cathartic about screaming. What's so relaxing about having to sleep with the lights on because you're scared you're gonna get jumped by those stupid twins in the middle of the night?"

"They wouldn't attack you in the middle of the night, dumbass, they'd wait until you were awake so they could see that terrified look on your face. Trust me, it's priceless," Minho cackles. Jisung immediately begins whacking him mercilessly, Minho responding with yells of pain and _"I'm your hyung, show some respect!"_ until he finally promises to buy Jisung lunch. The younger boy stops, a pleased smile spreading across his face. "What are we having, then?"

"Chan-hyung invited us out for sushi with him and Woojin-hyung," Minho says, examining his battle wounds (i.e. the redness along his arms where Jisung had laid some brutal hits). "Though I don't think I should bring you out in public, you're a menace."

"No, hyung, please, I want sashimi!" Jisung whines, bringing out the wide-eyed pleading look. Minho has learned, in the short time they've been friends, that it's damn near impossible to resist that look. He pretends to be affronted. "Do you know how expensive sashimi is, brat?"

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't think about that," Jisung bites his lip, suddenly serious. Minho doesn't like the way that frown twists his face with somberness, so he reaches out to poke Jisung's cheek with one finger, smiling gently. "I was just kidding. I promised you lunch, right? Don't worry, hyung can buy you sashimi."

"You two coming with us?" Chan says, suddenly entering the room with Woojin in tow. Minho nods, picking Byeol up and bringing her back to her kennel. When he gets back, Jisung already has his jacket held out toward him, and he smiles gratefully. Sufficiently bundled up, the four of them head out. The sushi place the shelter staff frequent is just ten minutes away, so they walk instead of taking the car, at first chatting in one group but gradually turning to their own conversations until Woojin and Chan are walking in front and the other two are just behind them. 

Woojin has been hired at the shelter for longer than Minho has, so from the moment he started this job, he's been there to observe the dynamic between his two hyungs. Minho thinks about how they've always been: comfortable, definitely, looking at how Woojin would go over to Chan's apartment on a whim and have a dinner of fried chicken take-out after their shifts. They were close friends, with something always brimming under the surface, just threatening to spill over when Woojin caught Chan staring at him or Chan accidentally said something more flirty than platonic or Woojin lent Chan his coat. Now that they're together, they're the same, still comfortable, still close. But it feels less like a build-up and more like something permanent, thick and heavy in the small things nobody notices except Minho. How Woojin had Chan's jacket slung over his arm when he'd first walked up to the front desk, passing it to his boyfriend before he forgot and walked into the cold without it. How Chan subconsciously angled his body towards Woojin as they walked, even when he was talking to Jisung and Woojin was walking quietly on his other side. How they're walking now, close enough for their shoulders to brush every few seconds, close enough for Chan to intertwine his pinky finger with Woojin's in the tiniest show of affection.

"What are you thinking about?" Jisung asks, breaking the comfortable silence between them. Minho looks away from their linked pinkies, up at Jisung blinking at him. He lowers his voice so the hyungs won't hear. "How well they fit together."

Jisung glances at Woojin and Chan, an easy smile on his face. "They do. Even in three weeks I can see how good they are for each other."

"It was their second date, that night when you found Byeol. If Chan didn't grow some balls and ask Woojin out, I wouldn't have been at the shelter that night."

"I guess I should thank them, then," Jisung says, mostly joking, but Minho catches a note of sincerity in his voice. Jisung looks at him, that same easy smile on his face, and Minho is hit with a wave of something indescribably fond.

"Don't be sappy, I would still be working there. You'd still see me when you come visit Byeollie," Minho snorts, trying to shake off the sentimental moment, but he would be lying if he said Jisung's words didn't fill his chest with warmth.

He brushes it off, and says, "If you ever tell them I complimented their relationship, I'll _kill_ you. Way worse than the girls from _The Shining_."

Jisung snorts. "Wow, hyung, I'm so scared." But he grins anyway, the sunlight transforming his blonde hair into a crown of gold. "My lips are sealed."

 

 

The sushi place is never too crowded, instead filled with the pleasant hum of regulars chattering and the whirring of conveyor belts as they deliver sushi to the patrons. Minho and Chan had dinner at this restaurant the night after they had bumped into each other, as old acquaintances catching up on their lives after high school. He was reaching the end of his training period as a vet nurse at the time, and when Chan's job had come up in conversation, the older boy proposed that Minho come work at his shelter once he was officially allowed to work in the field. It was the first time Minho felt like he might actually have a meaningful direction to go towards in life. 

The four of them settle in a booth further into the restaurant, Jisung sliding in to sit on the inside with his eyes already on the plates of sushi gliding past and Minho sitting beside him. A waitress delivers their waters and they browse the menu for a little while before ordering. Jisung takes two plates of sashimi off the conveyor belt before the waitress even begins walking away, and Minho rolls his eyes but doesn't protest.

"Jisung-ah, how's school? It's busier now, right, later into the semester?" Woojin asks, helping himself to a plate of ebi nigiri. Minho tries not to snicker at how fatherly he sounds, but. Well. It's totally something his own dad would ask when Minho was visiting home during Chuseok break when he was in university.

"Isn't it always busy?" Jisung sighs, trying to blow a strand of his fringe out of his face and not quite getting it. Minho fixes it for him, and he shoots the older boy a grateful smile before continuing. "Though there's this really cool assignment that my professor gave us! We just started a module on life drawing, so our professor brings in some real-life models for us when we have studio practice."

Minho snorts. "Is that a nice way of saying you're drawing people nude?"

"Do you always think with what's between your legs instead of your brain?" Jisung glares at him. "I wasn't referring to _that_ kind of anatomy."

Chan chokes out a laugh from where he's sitting beside his boyfriend, one hand discreetly curled around Woojin's thigh, and the conversation turns to other school-related things. Minho quietly sips his water, his gaze wandering around the restaurant but always, inevitably, drifting back to Jisung. 

It strikes Minho then, how much this feels like a double date. He definitely heard Chan's teasing about it earlier, but he didn't take it seriously. Now, though. Chan's hand on Woojin's thigh is more than enough evidence of their relationship, and Minho and Jisung are sitting close enough for their shoulders to touch. Minho's paying for Jisung's meal, and he knows Woojin will pay for Chan, too, judging from the number of times the three of them have gone out to eat together. (Woojin's excuse is always that he's older, therefore he should pay. Minho complains that he's younger than the both of them, so Woojin should pay for him too. Obviously, he gets ignored.) Chan is glancing back and forth between Jisung and Woojin, a relaxed smile curling his lips, fondness in his eyes, and Minho is doing the same. It would definitely be a double date, except —

He and Jisung aren't together.

"- need to talk to you about that," Chan is saying, and Minho tunes back into the conversation, curious. Chan hadn't raised anything to him about Jisung. The youngest raises his eyebrows, clearly taken aback. "About Byeol?"

"Yeah. Well, more specifically," Chan leans forward, clasping his hands and placing them on the table. Minho knows this look. He sees it every time Chan convinces someone to take one of their animals home. "Are you going to adopt her?"

Jisung's smile slips off his face, replaced by resignation. "I can't. I'm sorry, I just don't have the time or- or the money."

Woojin and Chan exchange a look. "Jisung, I know it's a big decision to make. We're kind of putting you on the spot here, but we need you to seriously consider it," Woojin says. "You know that we could help you with the whole process, right? The shelter covers a lot of the vaccinations and base supplies in the adoption fee already. We can't treat her after she leaves the shelter, but I know a few highly qualified private vets who would be willing to cash this in as a favour for me. Byeol trusts you more than anyone, so we just thought it wouldn't be fair if she was adopted by someone she doesn't know."

"I... I really can't, hyung. I've looked into it, too, but I can't afford to keep her, and I live in the student dorms year-round, and I seriously don't have the time to take care of her between all of my assignments." Jisung looks crestfallen, toying with his fingers anxiously. The table has gone silent, a heavy blanket draped over the atmosphere.

Realistically, Minho knows why Chan is pressuring Jisung to adopt Byeol. The kitten is still so little, and they estimated that she spent at least three weeks on her own before she got injured and Jisung found her. Having experience as a stray cat, she likely wouldn't trust her new owners too easily, and it shows in how she hardly lets anyone except Minho and Jisung touch her. Even Woojin, with his calming presence and almost fool-proof ability to connect with any animal he treats, has a hard time getting her to settle down during check-ups. She and Jisung, though, are awfully attached to each other, and Minho knows as well as anyone else who has studied veterinary science how the loss of someone she's formed a bond with, especially for a kitten this young, could lead her to develop separation anxiety, which would make it even harder for her to adjust to adoption. And clearly, Jisung is nowhere ready to give her up to a stranger.

Still, he hates how Jisung is shrinking into his seat, hates how he looks so small and sad like this. He knows Jisung would adopt Byeol if he even had the slightest notion that he could handle it; his refusal is probably hurting him more than anyone. So Minho gently pries Jisung's fingers apart and places his hand over them, shooting Chan a look that clearly says, _drop it_.

Chan sends back a slight nod, his lips pressed in a thin line. He tells Jisung that it's okay, that they'll look for the best owner for Byeol, doing thorough background checks and everything. Woojin changes the subject as their food arrives, and slowly, the tension in the air dissipates. Jisung doesn't remove his hand so Minho doesn't either, not until the last possible second when he needs to pick up his chopsticks and eat. Even so, he shifts just a little closer to Jisung, so their shoulders are definitely pressed up against each other. It's nice, and he knows the younger boy takes comfort in touch. He doesn't know when it became so important to him that Jisung isn't sad, or when he began knowing all these little quirks of Jisung's personality, but he supposes it doesn't matter. Jisung isn't pulling away.

Minho has always been a problem solver. He likes figuring out the best way to handle things, making a list of the outcomes from best to worst. And here, the best outcome of Byeol's adoption is less than likely. Jisung still has the whole school year to get through, and baby animals like kittens and puppies get adopted the fastest out of their kennels. So what's the next best option? Minho will admit, he's grown too fond of Byeol to trust her with just anyone, even with background checks. It has to be someone him, Jisung and Byeol all trust.

 _Ah,_ Minho thinks. _I think I have a solution._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like i should tag this as slow burn cos it's been 11k words and all i've given you is mildly oblivious minho and Two Seconds Jisung Fell Asleep On His Future Boyfriend
> 
> also! over the next two weeks i might only update once sadly :( i'll try my best to fit in two chapters but my schedule is packed.
> 
> lastly i have been filled with affection for jisung lately so if you would like please leave a comment with love for this cute squirrel heh <3


	5. leave this blue neighbourhood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello lovelies! sorry for leaving you hanging for so long, hope this update makes up for it? we've surpassed 200 kudos and 100 subs, lads! i'm really thankful :") you guys are the best (づ￣ ³￣)づ
> 
> announcement! the amazing [_2BASCO](https://twitter.com/_2BASCO) drew some adorable [fanart](https://twitter.com/_2BASCO/status/1062847015632154625) (scroll down the thread to see it) please support her!! she's a great fan artist that i've been following for a while now and i'm so happy she likes this fic ajkdsfdjk thank you mimsy <3
> 
> a lot of you managed to guess the direction this fic is going in (gosh y'all are so smart) but we'll continue on with this chapter like there's any suspense left lmao ~~

Byeol, as Minho has found out, isn't exactly agreeable to car rides. He's gone out to pick up injured strays after getting phone calls from concerned civilians enough times to know what a distressed animal sounds like, and Byeol is nothing if not vocal about what she feels.

"Will you be quiet _now_ , tiny demon cat?" Minho asks the cat carrier as if it will respond. He swears he hears a sulky meow in reply. "We're back at the shelter already, _please_ stop yowling."

With his car pulled into a parking spot, he gets out of the driver's seat and goes over to the backseat, reaching across to grip the handle of Byeol's carrier and brings her out of the car. She huffs indignantly once, but otherwise she seems to have settled down when the vehicle stopped moving. Minho carries her into the shelter through the back entrance, walking through the kennels of dogs and cats being fed for breakfast and past the examination room. It's only when he enters the main room at the front of the shelter that he sees a familiar head of blonde hair behind the front desk, and his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. 

"Hyung!" Jisung jumps up, and, upon seeing the carrier in Minho's hand, audibly lets out a sigh of relief. The older boy puts the carrier down on the desk, letting Jisung unlatch the door and coax Byeol out of the corner she's retreated into. The kitten purrs as soon as she's comfortable in Jisung's arms, and Minho makes a face, thinking of the fuss she put up when he had tried to get her into her carrier this morning. _Brat,_ he mouths bitterly at her. 

"Where did you bring her? I was so worried she had escaped from her kennel until I came around here and saw that you logged her with a one-night leave from the shelter," Jisung pouts. Minho has to lean over his chair to boot up the laptop and log Byeol back into the system, stalling for time. 

"Had to bring her out for the night to see how she would respond to a possible adopter's home environment," Minho says, typing away on the keyboard. It's not a lie, but he's not telling the whole truth either. He doesn't like keeping things from Jisung, but on the off-chance things don't work out, he'd rather not Jisung get his hopes up. 

"Oh." Minho can practically hear the way Jisung's face falls in his voice. "And... And how did it go?"

Minho chooses his words very carefully. "Decently. It seems she's unfamiliar with windows, and that scared her a bit, but after she was fed she relaxed."

He finishes up on the log-in and turns back to Jisung. "If everything goes well, she could be adopted."

Jisung's eyes are sad as he looks down at the kitten curled up in his arms. "I'm not ready to give her up."

"Yeah," Minho agrees. "Me neither."

It's quiet for a few moments, Jisung stroking the top of Byeol's head and Minho watching them, watching the way Jisung's fringe falls over his face, the rest of his hair tucked under a beanie, the way he gently bites his bottom lip, the way his shirt has slipped a little to reveal his collarbones. 

He snaps himself out of it when his phone chimes, a text notification popping on the screen.

 **chicken enthusiast**  
gommie's in the kennels if you  
need him  
a volunteer noona is looking  
after him and monet  
a couple of new strays came in  
this morning and i'm checking  
them over  
can you walk them without me?

"I think I know what could cheer you up," Minho says, breaking the silence, and Jisung looks at him curiously. He shuts the laptop down and stands up, instructing Jisung to put Byeol back into her kennel as he swings by the examination room. The younger boy does as he's told, and they separate after Minho comes to a stop outside the room and Jisung disappears to the kennels.

"Hyung," he says, drumming his fingers against the doorway. Woojin looks up, pausing in the middle of checking a stray dog for fleas, and said dog takes the chance to lick Woojin's face. Minho grins. "A friendly one, is he?"

"Thankfully, yes. The first one I checked was so skittish I had a hard time keeping him still for more than five seconds," Woojin huffs, and Minho makes a mental note to follow up on that dog later. "What's up?"

"I know it's kind of against the rules, but..." Minho begins. Woojin's eyebrows are already creeping towards his hairline at his tone. "Can Jisung walk Monet and Gom with me?"

Woojin frowns and puts down his tweezers, absently stroking the dog's ears, to which the stray responds with enthusiastic affection. "I know we bend a lot of protocol for Jisung, but that might be a bit much. Monet's a wild card, you know that."

Minho nods quickly. "I know, I know. But I promise Jisung'll walk Gom and I'll handle Monet, and if Monet doesn't warm up to him I'll bring the volunteer noona. Please, hyung?" He shoots a pleading look at Woojin. "Jisungie is feeling sad about Byeol being adopted, so I thought this would cheer him up."

Woojin gives him a withering stare in return. "You still haven't told him?"

"Hyungie, come on," he says petulantly. He's the hyung amongst his college friends and he acts like it, but he also lives up to his position as the maknae of the full-time staff on occasion. Meaning, he whines to get his way. "We're all aware of how attached Jisung is to Byeollie, giving him good news only to tell him it didn't work out would just be cruel."

"You talk like things haven't been going well for this plan of yours," Woojin snorts, but he leaves it alone after that, picking up the tweezers and turning back to treating the new stray. "Go walk Monet and Gom with Jisung. If anything goes wrong I'm not covering for your ass."

"Thanks, Woojin-hyung! I'll treat you to chicken, uh, at some point," Minho promises as he darts off, hoping that his hyung will forget all about that by the time lunch rolls around. He meets Jisung in the corridor, Byeol nowhere in sight, and before the younger boy can say anything, Minho grabs him by the wrist and tugs him back to the kennels. They pass all the dogs lazing around behind their wire mesh gates, some playing with chew toys or sleeping and others being bathed by the part-timers, to one kennel in the very corner. A black German Shepard is curled up in front of it, half-asleep, but he perks up when he sees Minho approaching, his tail thumping lazily against the floor. Minho can hear Jisung humming in interest from behind him.

"Jisung, this is Gom," Minho introduces, squatting down and reaching a hand out so Gom can smell his familiar scent. Jisung does the same, and Gom snuffles against Jisung's fingers before licking his knuckles. The younger boy giggles at the sensation, and Minho tamps down the squeezing feeling in his chest. "He's Woojin's dog, actually, but he's a well-mannered little gentleman, so we brought him in to help with another dog."

"And that," Minho says, gesturing to the kennel Gom is lying in front of. "Is Monet."

"Like the artist?" Jisung hides a laugh behind his hand, and Minho shrugs, smiling. "Don't ask me, I wasn't the one who named him."

Inside the kennel, a young lady is sitting in the corner, holding a rope toy out. A pit bull has his mouth around the other end of the toy, his grey and white fur glossy, growling playfully as he pulls at the rope. She waves with her free hand when she sees Minho and Jisung looking over at her, listening to Minho explain that they would try introducing Jisung to Monet first and then walking the two dogs. With a nod and a smile, she lets Monet win their tug-of-war game, leaving him to chew on his prize as she leaves the kennel and goes to fetch the leashes. 

"Monet was rescued from a dog fighting ring a few months ago," Minho tells Jisung, seeing the disgusted grimace that crosses Jisung's face at Monet's history. He shares the same sentiments. "The police got a number of dogs out from there, but they had to be split up to different shelters because they couldn't live in the same area without barking and growling at each other. Monet was sent here alone, but he's still terrible with dogs who weren't in the ring with him. We think he probably grew up in the ring, isolated from other dogs except when they were forced to fight, and that's why it's been drilled into him to attack dogs who step into his personal space. We stopped trying to walk him with the other shelter dogs, honestly, it's better for all of them. A obedience trainer comes in once a week to help him adjust to having other dogs around, and we're trying to train him bit by bit too, 'cause obviously it would be a nightmare to walk around the dog-filled streets of Seoul with him otherwise."

He pats Gom on the head. "Chan-hyung decided it would be a good idea to have him socialise with just one dog first, and Woojin-hyung volunteered Gom. This treasure is so well-trained, he can get along with any dog. It took a while, but eventually Monet and Gom became friends. We started walking them together, on the days hyung brings Gommie around."

Jisung grins. "Sounds fun. Is that what we're gonna do?"

"Yup, if Monet doesn't have a problem with you," Minho confirms, standing up to slide the bolt on the kennel's door, crack it open and extend a hand in. Monet stops chewing on the toy and approaches cautiously, but upon recognising Minho's scent, he happily butts his head against Minho's hand for pats. "He's normally quite good with human company, but he's been hostile towards a couple of volunteers before, so we still have to be careful when he's meeting new people."

Minho reaches into the pocket of his jeans and pulls out a small Ziploc bag of dog treats. Monet immediately snaps to attention, his eyes following the treat that Minho hands to Jisung. "Come on, Sungie, let him smell your hand, and if he's good you can give him the treat."

Jisung obediently shuffles closer so he can reach his arm into the crack. Monet eyes it warily before giving it a few experimental sniffs, retracting his nose after a few moments. He hasn't exactly warmed up to Jisung, but he's not snarling at him, either. Jisung feeds him the treat with his other hand, and Monet takes it with a wag of his tail. Minho smiles. "I think this was a success."

The volunteer comes back into view with two leashes and a backpack in hand. She helps Minho leash up Gom while the older boy goes into the kennel and wrestles Monet into his harness, then passes Gom's leash to Jisung and leaves with a cheery goodbye. With the backpack slung over Minho's shoulder, the two boys slip out by the back entrance, exiting out into the gravel of the parking lot and alking along the more deserted area. Monet seems curious about everything and anything, sniffing the ground and pulling Minho along with him. A couple times, the boy has to tug the pit bull back to him when he tries to run off towards a passing bug. _I'm so lucky I work out,_ Minho thinks, wiping the sweat off his forehead. _Or this dog would have made me fall flat on my face and then dragged my poor body along behind him._

Gom, on the other hand, sticks close to Jisung's heel, relaxed and never straying far from his side. Minho would be envious, except he looks so happy outside in the sunshine, occasionally reaching down to pat Gom on the head and quietly praising the German Shepard for his good behaviour. Minho hides his smile, secretly pleased that he managed to take Jisung's mind off Byeol's situation, even for a moment.

They eventually end up at an open field, with long, uncut grass and wildflowers dotting the expanse of green with specks of colour. It's not particularly big, but it's still a rarity in bustling Seoul, filled with skyscrapers and constant construction. 

"This field has been untouched since Chan set up the shelter. We don't really know who owns it, but I started bringing Monet here instead of around the streets. I've seen a few kids playing soccer, but otherwise it's unoccupied," Minho says, swinging the backpack off his shoulder and setting it on the ground. He grins at Jisung. "I'm gonna take Monet for a run. Care to join?"

With Monet's excitable nature, it's no surprise that Minho has to run faster, pumping his legs to keep up with the pit bull as they make laps around the field. The few times he looks at Jisung over his shoulder, the younger boy is running at a slightly slower pace, Gom trotting next to him. His hair is blown back by the wind and his eyes are curved in crescents, a gummy smile gracing his lips. He sticks out his tongue when he catches Minho looking at him, which sparks an exchange of insults during which Minho mocks Jisung for his speed and Jisung yells back something about Monet being way faster than Minho, anyway. That is, until Minho's foot catches on something and he loses his balance, sending him sprawling on the ground. Monet stops running immediately, circling back to Minho and nudging him with his nose.

"Hyung! Are you okay?" Jisung comes running over, a worried note in his voice. Minho rolls over so he faces upwards, a little scratched and bruised but otherwise fine. Jisung is standing over him, the sunlight lighting up his hair like a halo, but his mouth is twisted in a concerned frown. "I think this was a sign that I've done enough running," he jokes weakly, and Jisung visibly deflates in relief.

Jisung gets on the ground with him, lying down so that his head rests on Minho's outstretched arm. Gom and Monet settle by their sides, contentedly dozing off in the sunshine. The grass tickles his neck and the lumpy ground digs into the small of his back, but Minho is enjoying the weight of Jisung's head on his arm and the way their sides are pressed together, so he doesn't raise a complaint. It's quiet for a short few moments, before Jisung says, almost sleepily, "How did you know this was the career you wanted, hyung?"

"Mm, I didn't, not really," Minho hums, his breathing slowly going back to normal after exercising. Monet's leash is still tightly gripped in his hand, but the pit bull isn't making a move to get away, for once, and he's starting to get comfortable. "I always liked animals as a kid, and my university was pressing me to pick a course, you know? Wait, no, you wouldn't, JYP students declare their majors in the first year. Whatever. I was good at science, but I didn't want to spend seven years becoming a vet, so I took vet nursing instead."

"You had pets when you were younger?"

"Yeah, my parents adopted a cat after I was born, and since then there's always been cats in the house. My eomma got busy babying our two current cats after I left for uni, so now they're spoiled as hell. Soonie and Doongie are cute, though, they're always happy to see me when I visit my parents," Minho says. "Do you have any pets at home?"

"No," Jisung mumbles. Minho wonders if he's actually falling asleep. "Are your parents strict about that, or something?"

"Not really. They just didn't really care, when I was growing up and now." Jisung's voice is, somehow, quieter than before, and Minho gets the strange, uncomfortable feeling that he isn't talking about having pets. He turns his head so he's facing the younger boy, noticing the way his eyelashes fan out over his cheekbones with his eyes half-lidded like that and his mouth is set into a tense line. He nudges Jisung's side until he, too, turns to face Minho, then makes a stupid expression. Jisung laughs, softly and not quite like his usual loud laughter, but it breaks the strange tension that had settled over them like a rain cloud.

"You're so weird," Jisung snorts. Minho brushes it off; he's been called weird all throughout his life, and he knows Jisung doesn't mean it offensively. 

"Why did you ask about that?" He asks instead, steering the conversation back towards him.

"No reason," Jisung says, with a look in his eyes Minho can't figure out. "I just like knowing things about you."

With an electrifying tingle that travels up his spine, Minho suddenly realises how close his and Jisung's faces are. The younger boy is peeking up at him through his fringe, blinking innocently mere inches away from him, and Minho feels his ears turning pink. He turns his face away, scrambling for something else to focus on before his eyes land on Monet and how heavily the pit bull is panting. "Monet, uh, seems tired out. Come on, let's go back to get my backpack."

Jisung stands up agreeably, Gom getting to his feet once he sees his handler doing the same. Monet takes a little more tugging, but eventually the two boys and their companions walk back to where the backpack was dumped on the ground. Minho takes out a water bottle from inside, one of the specialised kind for dogs, and flips open the attached container so both Gom and Monet can take a drink. Jisung watches him with a small smile on his face, to which Minho responds with an embarrassed _what?_

"You really care for them, don't you?" Jisung says, smiling wider. "I'm happy you took that course back in uni, hyung, and you ended up here."

Minho looks at the blonde boy in front of him, with his beanie sitting crooked on his head and Gom's leash still looped around his wrist, that stupid smile making his heart do cartwheels inside his ribcage. "Yeah. Yeah, me too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gom means bear bc uwu woojin is a total teddy bear
> 
> i love both cats and dogs so my lil soft spot for dogs shone through in this, hope you guys like it as much as y'all like minsung with cats? and pit bulls really don't live up to their image as fierce fighters okay they're just as sweet as any other dog please give pit bulls some love (●´□`)♡
> 
> hopefully my update schedule will be back to normal after this? see you guys next week yay


	6. never knew loving could hurt this good

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lord i tried so hard to meet this deadline i've been writing for four hours x_x also i swear a lot more in this chapter um sorry? welcome to my life i say fuck way too much
> 
> hope y'all like this slightly longer chapter to make up for last week's abysmal update schedule hhhh

Minho drums his fingers against the tabletop impatiently, watching as Chan goes through the vaccination and sterilisation records on his desk, making sure everything is in order. The weather is steadily creeping towards winter, but anxiousness prickles at his skin and soaks his collar in sweat, making it stick to the back of his neck. He's sure time has somehow slowed down just to fuck with him. Since when did checking through records take this long?

Finally, Chan flips to the last page and signs above the little line at the bottom, like Minho has seen him do dozens of times, except this time it feels like his own fate is being sealed by the ink. With a final flick of his pen, Chan grins and slides the file over to Minho, taking the adoption contract back for his own safekeeping. "It's done! Congratulations, Minho-yah."

Minho flings his arms around Chan's shoulders, the angle awkward because of the desk that separates them, but he's far too giddy to care. "Thanks, Chan-hyung! You're the best!"

"I bet you say that to all your hyungs," Chan laughs, but returns the hug and affectionately strokes Minho's hair. He pulls away to give Minho gentle push. "Go on, you have a duty to uphold. Just remember to take care of that one, or Jisung will have your head."

"Oh, I know that better than anyone." Minho can't help the huge smile that spreads across his face as he half-runs, half-trips out of Chan's office, the medical records in his hands. He skids to a stop outside the examination room, the squeak of his sneakers alerting Woojin to his presence. The older boy takes one look at his flustered state and bursts out laughing, pointing at the carrier in the corner. "Calm down, she isn't going anywhere."

"I know, I just- Chan-hyung took ages with the paperwork, okay?" Minho pouts, but he slows his steps as he enters the room. Woojin shakes his head in amusement. "You were gone for ten minutes."

"Well, it certainly felt like forever!" Minho says, making an indignant noise.

"That's just because you can't spend a second longer keeping a secret from Jisung," Woojin teases. "Why did you wait until the end of your shift to do this? Couldn't you have filled out the paperwork during lunch?"

"If I did it while still at work, I would have just left as soon as Chan-hyung processed the forms," Minho admits, a little sheepishly. He quickly recovers, adding a confident, "But lucky for you, I'm a responsible employee who wouldn't abandon his job."

"It's not like you're particularly useful even when you're around," Woojin snarks, then ducks away from the smack Minho aims at his shoulder. "Yah! I'm your hyung, brat."

"You sure don't act like it."

Woojin rolls his eyes, turning back to cleaning the equipment in his hand. "She's all yours now, you can get out of here before I throw this scalpel at your face."

Minho chooses not to reply, instead stooping in front of the carrier and placing his fingers against the wire mesh. The kitten in the corner creeps forward to lick his fingertips, and he laughs at the sensation. "Let's go home, Byeollie."

He handles the carrier with well-trained care, despite the excitement brewing inside him, as he heads to his car. He hadn't lied to Woojin, he would have probably been way too distracted during the rest of his shift if he went through the paperwork during lunch, but he also left it to the end of the day because he knows Jisung has a lecture that ends around this time and he wants to surprise the younger boy. With one hand, he types out a text as quickly as possible.

**minhomo**  
you out of class yet?

Sliding his phone into his back pocket, he says goodbye to the staff he passes and slips out by the back door, the gravel crunching under his shoes as he crosses the parking lot to his car. He gets Byeol comfortably settled in the backseat, praying that she doesn't start up her whining straight away, and eases himself into the driver's seat, taking out his phone. A new notification brightens up the screen.

 **han squirrel**  
just got released~ on time for once  
i'm heading to the cute lil bakery  
where felix works to get a  
croissant  
why?? (・・？)

**minhomo**  
send me the address? i wanna meet  
up with you  
i have something to tell you

**han squirrel**  
that's so sus but ok  
Shared: Location on Naver Maps  
see you soon hyungieヽ(*≧ω≦)ﾉ

Minho smiles at his phone, thoroughly amused by the cute emoticons Jisung always uses in his texts, then clicks on the link so that his phone's GPS can guide him to the bakery. He starts the car's engine and starts reversing out of the parking spot, and immediately a barrage of complaints reverberates from the backseat. He sighs, resigning himself to a fifteen-minute drive consisting of fumbling through directions and auditory torture.

 

When Minho finally pulls into a empty spot in the jam-packed parking lot right behind the bakery, he just wants to get out of this enclosed space and get Byeol to calm down already. The kitten is still pretty small, but goddamn does she have a powerful set of lungs in her. He takes a minute to shoot Jisung a message about arriving at the bakery, before he climbs out of the car and grabs the carrier from the backseat.

He isn't sure the bakery's management would be too forgiving about bringing an animal near their food, but luckily, it has a patio out front with a couple tables. Minho picks an unoccupied one and places the carrier on the chair beside his, checking his phone for a text from Jisung.

 **han squirrel**  
i'm still otw but i'll be there  
soon!  
i told felix you were coming,  
he might come say hi ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

Minho starts typing a reply, but he's interrupted when someone with an apron tied around their waist and an empty tray in their hands stops right by his table. He looks up, greeted by the sight of an orange-haired boy with a dusting of freckles over his nose and cheeks. The boy beams at him, his eyes disappearing into crescents, and instantly Minho feels the need to protect this kid from all the bad in the world. "Hello! Are you Jisung's Minho-hyung?"

Minho blinks. _Jisung's Minho-hyung?_ "Uh, I guess I am. You must be Felix."

Felix, impossibly, smiles even wider, paying no attention to how Minho stumbles a little over the English pronunciation. He leans towards Minho. "It's nice to finally meet you! I've heard so much about you from Jisung."

Minho swallows thickly at the thought of Jisung telling his friends about him. "Good things, I hope?" He says weakly.

"Only the best," Felix says, and Minho swears he sees a mischievous glint in the boy's eyes. What the hell does he mean by that? 

Felix seems to notice the cat carrier perched beside him for the first time, and actually squeals. "Oh my God, this is Byeol, right? Jisung won't shut up about how cute she is, but he never invited me to go to the shelter with him."

"You can say hi to her, if you want to. Just let her sniff your hand."

"Of course I want to," Felix says, bending down so he can reach over to the carrier. He gently presses his knuckles against the door, and Byeol, probably enticed by the smell of pastries on his hand, comes forward to investigate. Not finding any actual food on him, she meows in complaint, then retreats back into the back of the carrier. Felix pouts, pulling his hand away. "Aw, she doesn't seem to like me."

"Sorry, she's not the friendliest. She does this to everyone she meets for the first time," Minho winces, but Felix waves away his apology. "It's alright, I'm not Jisung the animal whisperer, I'm used to it."

"His way with animals is honestly surprising," Minho agrees. It's something he's noticed about the younger boy; aside from Woojin, he doesn't know anyone who can get animals to like them that quickly. "I'm kind of jealous, actually, it would help me more than him to have that ability. He would have made a pretty damn good vet, if he wasn't so passionate about art."

"Lucky it was him that rescued Byeol, then, or some other poor sucker would have gotten his face clawed off," Felix says, and Minho laughs. The younger boy looks away, and quickly raises his hands to wave frantically. "Hey, speak of the devil."

Minho turnd around to see Jisung hurrying towards them, his hands jammed into the pockets of his jacket and half his face buried in a scarf. His sneakers slap against the small wooden stairway as he takes them two at a time, crossing the patio to get to them. He takes one hand out of his pocket to pull the scarf down and fist-bump Felix. "What's up, assholes."

"Nothing, I just came outside to say hi to your hyung," Felix replies. Jisung eyes him suspiciously. "What were you talking about?"

"You," Felix smirks, like he's expecting a response, and sure enough, Jisung colours. Minho is, as usual, lost.

"Don't you have a job to do? Customers to feed? Like me, I want a croissant," Jisung huffs. Felix laughs, already backing away. "You're right, it's cold out here and my manager will be wondering where I went. I'll bring your croissant out for you!"

Jisung turns to Minho, meeting his hyung's eyes and cocking his head. "So? Why did you want us to meet, hyung? I was already gonna drop by the shelter tomorrow, what's so important that you have to tell me today?"

"Well," Minho starts, then pauses. His heart is hammering away in his chest, so hard he thinks it may burst right out of his chest. "Byeol's been adopted."

Jisung's face, expectedly, falls. He opens his mouth, closes it, then opens it again. "So quickly?"

"Her owner has been making preparations for it for quite some time, actually," Minho shrugs like he isn't about to vomit from the nerves, then brings Byeol's carrier up to place it on the table. "But you can visit her new home any time you want. You have my address, don't you?"

For a second, Jisung is silent, blinking rapidly with his jaw slack as he processes what Minho just said. Then he stutters out a bewildered, "O-Oh my god," and covers his face with his hands. It takes Minho a moment to realise — "Wait, Jisungie, are you crying?"

"No," Jisung says thickly, and in an instant, Minho is on his feet, gathering Jisung into his arms and rubbing his back soothingly. The younger boy buries his face into Minho's shoulder, his hands clenched in tight fists against his eyes. Frantically, Minho tries to comfort him. "Hey, no, don't cry! It's okay, Byeollie is coming to live with me, you don't have to be sad. Hyung is sorry, okay, I didn't mean to make you cry."

"You scared me!" Jisung rasps, his voice muffled and watery. He pulls away slightly, glaring at Minho from underneath wet eyelashes, though he doesn't look very intimidating with a reddened nose. He punches Minho's chest weakly. "I really thought I didn't get to say goodbye to her. You're so mean! Why didn't you tell me you were thinking of adopting her?"

Minho lifts one hand from where both his arms are looped around Jisung's waist to wipe away the tear tracks on his cheeks with the pad of his thumb. "I just didn't want to disappoint you if it turned out I couldn't adopt her."

"You're an idiot, hyung," Jisung mutters, but he doesn't make any move to get out of Minho's embrace, and Minho knows that he's forgiven. "This is what you signed up for when you became friends with me."

Jisung looks away, to where Byeol has emerged from the corner, swishing her tail and mewing softly to get Jisung's attention. He sniffs. "At least your cat is cute."

Minho laughs, reaching up to ruffle Jisung's hair. "Well, I'm gonna try to make it up to you. Do you want to come over and help me get Byeol settled into my apartment?"

Jisung whips his head back to look at Minho, eyes shining and a smile finally appearing on his face, like the sun peeking out from behind rainclouds.

☂

"When did you decide to adopt her, anyway?" Jisung asks as Minho slides his key into the lock, turning it twice before it clicks and he slides it back out. Minho shrugs, twisting the doorknob with his free hand and pushing the door open. "That time we went for sushi with Woojin-hyung and Chan-hyung. Honestly, Changbin and I have been thinking about getting a pet for a while; he always says he's lonely when I work the night shift. There never seemed to be a good time for us to sit down and seriously discuss it, though, not until adopting Byeol became an option."

The apartment is dark as they step inside, rectangles of light from the streetlights outside punctuating the floorboards underneath windows. Minho flips the light switches as he crosses the living room to throw his jacket over the back of the couch. Jisung stands by the doorway with Byeol's carrier in his grip, observing the interior of the apartment until Minho motions for him to take his jacket off. "Where is Changbin-ssi? It doesn't seem like anyone's home."

"Off to a dinner at his parents' house," Minho says, wrinkling his nose. "His dad is kind of an asshole, so Binnie hates dinners with his family, but he doesn't really have a choice."

"But you probably don't want to hear about that." He turns to fiddle with the thermostat, missing the look that crosses Jisung's face when he mutters, _"Yeah, I don't really wanna hear about asshole parents."_ The temperature suitably adjusted, he turns back to Jisung, fishing his phone out of his pocket. "Just put the carrier down for now, let her get used to the smell of the apartment. What do you want for dinner? I'll get take-out."

"Uh, anything's fine, but I'm kind of craving jjajangmyeon right now," Jisung says, putting the carrier on the floor. Minho nods, dialling a restaurant nearby that delivers and ordering their dinner while Jisung sits cross-legged in front of the carrier, stroking Byeol with one finger that he pokes through the wire mesh door.

"Alright, come on," Minho says abruptly, ending the call. He starts walking towards the rooms and opens the door of one, revealing a narrow room cast in shadows. "And bring Byeol with you."

The inside, as Jisung sees when Minho turns the light on, has been prepared for Byeol. There's a baby gate set up just out of the door's reach, and in the space beyond it, a cat bed in the corner and two of Minho's old shirts to help Byeol calm down. Jisung sets the carrier down and climbs over the baby gate, while Minho goes back to the kitchen to fill Byeol's food and water bowls. When he gets back, Jisung is coaxing Byeol out of the carrier, murmuring encouragements to her, and the sight makes Minho smile. He steps over the baby gate, trying not to spill anything, and sets the bowls down against the wall.

They stay with Byeol for a little while, sitting side by side on the floor. Once she's reassured that she's with the two people she's most familiar with, she becomes curious about the room she's in, toddling around to inspect everything from the cat bed to the bowls to the ball of lint in the corner (Minho has to stop her from trying to eat that). She takes a drink out of her water bowl, which is almost comically big for the still tiny kitten, but is otherwise disinterested in the cat food until the take-out arrives and Minho and Jisung sit outside the baby gate to slurp down their jjajangmyeon noisily, giving her space to eat her food in peace. Minho absentmindedly thinks about how nice it feels, talking quietly with Jisung in his warm apartment, Byeol stretching out on the carpet near them. He almost doesn't notice when Byeol curls up on the cat bed and falls asleep, but when he does, he takes a picture of it, fully prepared to be one of those annoying people who document their pets' every action on social media, before he and Jisung creep out of the room as quietly as possible, turning the light off and shutting the door behind them.

"Well, it's getting late..." Jisung says slowly, his eyes flickering between Minho and the front door. Minho knows it is, but at the same time, he doesn't really want Jisung to leave and this nice atmosphere to dissipate. He shifts from one foot to another, deliberating, before he blurts out, "Do you want to stay over? It's Saturday tomorrow, anyway, you don't have classes."

Jisung looks surprised at the invitation, but he opens his mouth and says, "I didn't bring anything to change into." It's not a no.

"I can lend you my clothes, I don't mind," Minho says, feeling the heat in his cheeks at the suggestion. There's an awkward pause where they both blush and avoid each other's eyes, until Jisung mumbles an agreement. So Minho digs around in his closet until he finds some comfy shirts and sweatpants for them both and a spare toothbrush for Jisung, letting the other boy have the bathroom while he changes in his room.

Jisung comes out of the bathroom when Minho is already comfortable on the couch, scrolling through Instagram on his phone. The shirt is already over-sized on Minho, and Jisung is almost swimming in it, with the sleeves coming down past his elbows and the hem at his mid-thigh. Minho's chest aches at the sight of Jisung dressed in his clothes, his hair slightly messy like he ran his hand through it a couple times and looking so in his element in Minho's apartment, and he tries not to let his voice shake when he asks Jisung to come over.

Jisung collapses on the couch next to Minho, his legs in Minho's lap, and Minho sighs but allows it. A voice that sounds suspiciously like Chan whispers, _Whipped,_ from the corner of his mind, and he tells it to shut the fuck up. He puts his phone away, reaching for the television remote. "We can watch that dumb romantic comedy you've been meaning to watch, if you want. I saw it on Netflix."

"Ah, the perks of being friends with functional adults who own an actual television and don't have to pirate movies off the Internet," Jisung sighs dreamily. Minho snorts, clicking the buttons on the remote until the movie shows up on screen and he and Jisung fall into silence. The movie is, predictably, some Western chick flick about a girl in high school and her hot jock love interest, and Minho would lose interest in it if not for Jisung's running commentary. He cracks jokes about the protagonist's gay best friend and the love triangle she has going on with the star of the hockey team and the leader of the mathletes ("Twenty bucks she goes for the jock- Oh, _shit,_ she just kissed the nerd, I didn't sign up to be broke-"), Minho snorting more at his comments than the comedy part of the film. Jisung does get his money's worth, though, when the movie fades out to a scene of the girl kissing the hockey player after their school team wins state championships.

"Has anyone ever told you you're absolutely terrible to watch movies with," Minho says, even as a smile plays on his lips. Jisung shoves his shoulder, rolling his eyes. "Shut up, hyung, you know you would have fallen asleep after five minutes if I didn't keep my mouth running." Minho doesn't even have the will to tease him back. Jisung is the only one he'd be willing to sit through a stupid, predictable teen romance movie with.

They watch the credits roll for a while until Jisung speaks up again. "Well, we have nothing to do now. What do you usually do when you're alone at home, hyung?"

Minho resists his natural reflex to make a dirty joke, instead replying truthfully. "Drink some red wine and watch a drama, if I'm in the mood for it."

Jisung sits up straighter, his interest piqued. "We can do that. Do you have wine now?"

Minho gets up to pour them half a wineglass each, returning to the couch with them in hand. This time, Jisung switches his position so he's leaning against Minho's side as he sips his wine, and Minho tries not to get dizzy off the smell of peach-scented shampoo. They put on this historical drama that Minho hasn't had the time to catch up on, and Jisung is surprisingly quiet as they watch it. There's only the sound of the characters' voices, volume turned down low to avoid incurring the wrath of his neighbours, and the clink of wineglasses, and Minho gets caught up in the plot, losing himself in the life of a Joseon era prince and his forbidden love affair with his handmaid. 

"I've forgotten how good this drama is..." Minho trails off as he turns to Jisung and notices that the younger boy has fallen asleep, his head pillowed on Minho's shoulder and his hand curled up in his lap. He looks peaceful in a way he never does awake, always expressing his feelings as loudly as possible, with his face and actions and words. His breathing is even and his eye bags disappear in the dim lighting. He looks relaxed in the way college students never are, and Minho can't help the wave of fierce fondness that crashes over him.

He gently moves Jisung so that his head rests on the couch instead, then brings their wineglasses to the sink to wash. Jisung is still sound asleep when he gets back, and he thinks, _Oh, what the hell. Surely he isn't that heavy._ And he's right, he finds, as he carries Jisung into his bedroom, though he still stumbles once or twice. Jisung sniffles in his sleep, but he doesn't wake up, not even when Minho deposits him on the bed. Instead he just curls up into a ball, reminding Minho of Byeol, and lets Minho drape a blanket over him.

Minho drags a futon mattress out from their storage room, snagging a blanket and pillows from Changbin's room, and flicks the light switch off on his way back to his room. He gets settled into his new sleeping arrangements, shifting around until he's comfortable, but sleep doesn't come for him right away.

He watches the way the streetlights outside the window highlight Jisung's cheekbones and shade shadows over his forehead, how the light dances across his closed eyes and his lips. Even in the weird orange light, even in the dark, even asleep and from Minho's viewpoint on the floor, he's so pretty it's breathtaking. Minho finds his eyes tracing the line of his jaw, transfixed by the boy in front of him. He looks so fucking lovely, and for a moment Minho entertains the fantasy of just getting up and kissing him, right there and then. His heart does the foxtrot in his rib cage and his stomach feels like it's full of knots.

"I like you so much," Minho whispers into the night, the wine making him brave. Jisung doesn't stir. "I like you so much I don't know what to do with myself."

Only the moon hears his quiet admission, and even as he turns to face the wall, even as sleep starts to overtake him, the thought stays with him, always chipping away at his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if only jisung had been awake then all our problems would be solved but Nah Fam
> 
> aight so,.,.,,., i'm in choir and we have practice four days out of the seven days next week so uhh an update? questionable but i will try my best lads
> 
> also i'm just curious whether you guys can guess who my skz bias is (don't cheat! if you've seen my twitter you probably already know) hehe leave a comment if you wanna try guessing


	7. i've never ever wanted to be so bad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aksjdhfksj i'm so sorry about how late this chapter is but i hope you guys enjoy!! please look at the end notes for an important notice :)
> 
> note: very very brief description of a sexual scene in the first bit. it's nothing explicit but just in case anyone needs to know

_Hands, hot against the skin of his stomach. Fingertips trailing down his side, tracing the faint lines of his rib cage. Heavy breathing, panting exhales that set his blood on fire. Lips on his lips, then along his jawline, sending electricity down his spine. Mouth against his collarbone, tongue swiping over his skin before teeth sink down and he can feel the rough edges slick with spit, feel the way red and purple start to bloom. Palms dragging downwards, the touch sparking fireworks in his vision, and the scent of peaches is intoxicating —_

Minho jerks awake, chest heaving up and down with how heavy he's breathing. His hair is matted with sweat, and he runs a hand through it more out of habit than anything, trying to calm himself down. That was- It was _something_ , a dream so vivid it felt real, the images still fresh and persistent in Minho's mind no matter how desperately he tries to push them away, and he flushes despite himself. _At least,_ Minho muses to himself, _I can be ashamed by myself-_

Jisung.

Minho's head snaps up, his gaze fixing on the bed, but there's nobody there. The blanket left in a messy pile, and the sheets are wrinkled, but otherwise there's no sign of the younger boy. Minho takes the time to compose himself, wiping the sweat off his temples and pushing the memory of the dream to the back of his mind, never to see the light of day, then ventures out of his room to find out where Jisung went. Sunlight filters in through the windows, the sounds of a busy city serving as white noise to Minho's ears, and he startles when he unplugs his phone from its charger and sees the time on the lock screen. It's well past eleven in the morning. He slept in way later than he usually does.

He finds Jisung in the kitchen, staring blankly at the coffee maker with two mugs on the counter in front of him. The sight draws a laugh out of Minho. "Just looking at it won't magically produce coffee, Jisungie."

Jisung whirls around. "Hyung! Good morning. I have no idea how to work your coffee maker."

Minho snorts. "That's evident. Good morning to you too." He walks over and reaches above the counter to flick a switch, amused. "Turning it on is a good first step."

Jisung rolls his eyes despite his pink cheeks, but he lets Minho handle the coffee-brewing. Within minutes, black coffee is steadily trickling into the pot, steam dissipating in the air. Minho leans against the counter as they wait. "Are you hungry? Have you eaten anything yet?"

Jisung shakes his head, the collar of his shirt slipping and exposing more skin. Minho tries not to stare. "No, I got up like ten minutes before you. I'm not that hungry, anyway. I don't usually eat breakfast, I just have coffee."

"Drinking coffee on an empty stomach is so unhealthy," Minho sighs, but he pours them two mugs of coffee even so. He takes a sip before speaking again. "Your generation never likes to take care of yourselves."

"You're only two years older than me, old man," Jisung retorts. "And you can't tell me you went through university eating three proper meals a day, not taking care of yourself is the college experience."

Minho opens his mouth to refute Jisung's claim, then closes it again when he remembers he survived university on instant ramen at 3a.m. and energy drinks for breakfast. Jisung smirks in victory, and Minho swallows a mouthful of boiling hot coffee to stop himself from doing something stupid, like trying to kiss it off his face.

"Thanks for, um, letting me crash on your bed last night," Jisung mumbles into his mug. Minho waves it away. "It's not a big deal." _Liar,_ his heart whispers, beating in double time. "If the drama was really that boring, you could have just told me."

Jisung splutters. "It wasn't! I was just tired, okay, I'm not normally that asshole who falls asleep-"

"You really do need to sleep more, Sungie," Minho shakes his head. "I know college is hard and all, but you work too hard."

Jisung shifts his gaze away. "I'll try, hyung," he says, though both him and Minho know it's an empty promise. 

They lapse into a comfortable silence, Jisung finishing off the rest of his coffee, lost in his own thoughts, while Minho checks his phone. He raises his eyebrows at the influx of messages from his friends and scrolls through the group chat to get updated.

**minho and his last 4 braincells (5)**

**changbeanie baby**  
wuss poppin i'm ready to decapitate myself

 **puppymin**  
i take it your dad didn't magically grow a  
heart since the last dinner you had with  
them

 **changbeanie baby**  
that would be a christmas miracle

 **prince hwang**  
hyung it's october  
christmas isn't for another two months

 **changbeanie baby**  
tell that to all the major department  
stores and their decorations  
anyway  
who's up for lunch so i can talk shit and  
y'all can stuff your faces

 **prince hwang**  
i'm down for free food

 **puppymin**  
sorry hyung i have an essay due :-/

 **innie meeny miny mo**  
i already made plans to have lunch with  
some dude from lab rip

 **prince hwang**  
oo innie is it a date ;-)

 **innie meeny miny mo**  
fgdhsjkfghjfkds  
i mean  
no

 **changbeanie baby**  
lmao smooth

 **innie meeny miny mo**  
i will cut your head off with a rusty  
chainsaw

 **prince hwang**  
wait where's minho-hyung  
is he dead

The message was sent 2 minutes ago, and Minho quickly types out a reply so his friends don't send a search and rescue team to his front door.

**minhomo**  
i'm not dead you idiots

**innie meeny miny mo**  
aw man  
looks like santa didn't bring me an  
early christmas present after all :-(

**minhomo**  
watch your mouth maknae  
i pay for your caffeine addiction

**puppymin**  
shit he's using the hyung voice

 **changbeanie baby**  
wow that's horny  
is jisung there with you

 **prince hwang**  
ASJDJDJKSHDHF  
omg hyung get rekt

**minhomo**  
none of your fucking business

**innie meeny miny mo**  
holy shit is he actually FKDJDJSK  
i choked  
is this a badly written fanfic omfg

**minhomo**  
... mayhaps he slept over  
before you say anything, stfu

**changbeanie baby**  
fine i shall be an adult and handle this situation  
with maturity  
are you two coming for lunch then

**minhomo**  
he's invited??

**prince hwang**  
don't you want him to meet the most  
important people in your life?

**minhomo**  
i would get a restraining order if i could

**puppymin**  
now that's just harsh

Minho looks up from his phone to see Jisung setting the mug down on the counter, presumably drained, and asks, "Hey, Changbin and Hyunjin want to have lunch with us. You up for it? Changbin usually pays for it, so I advise you to come along purely for the free food."

Jisung raises an eyebrow. "He pays for everyone's lunches? Damn, does his job pay that well?"

"No, his family's just loaded," Minho snorts. "So that's a yes?"

Jisung shrugs, "As long as I get back to campus by three. I booked a studio slot so I can finish up my painting."

"You're such a nerd, going back to uni on a weekend," Minho teases, looking back down at his phone and replying in a show of nonchalance, but Jisung can sense the undercurrent of concern anyway. They both know how much Minho worries about Jisung overworking himself, so he carefully changes the subject. "Can you drive me back to my dorm first? I don't really want to meet your friends for the first time while wearing yesterday's clothes."

Minho would offer to lend Jisung more of his clothes, except he's already done that once and maybe it would be weird to do it again, and also he isn't sure his heart could take any more of that. So he agrees, and Jisung washes up in the bathroom while Minho cleans up after their meager breakfast and checks on Byeol, who meows delightedly at the refilled food bowl he brings with him. Minho refreshes himself the bathroom afterwards, and when the older boy is dressed decent enough to go out and feeling significantly more awake, he comes to the living room to see Jisung still in the clothes he slept in, except his jacket is draped over his shoulders. He laughs.

"I'm just running back up to my dorm, anyway, nobody is gonna judge me for wearing sweatpants," Jisung defends, and Minho nods, even if his eyes are shining with amusement. They put their shoes on and ride the elevator down to the basement, piling into his car with Minho driving and Jisung riding shotgun.

"Byeol's gonna be okay by herself for a few hours, right?" Jisung asks in between giving directions to where his dorm is, and Minho hums. "She'll be fine. I refilled her water bowl and brought her breakfast earlier. Besides, she was in that room when I brought her to my apartment overnight, just to see how she reacts to a home environment, so she's already pretty comfortable there. I'll probably let her explore the rest of the place in a day or two."

Jisung nods and resumes looking out the window. They approach JYP University, but Jisung tells Minho to keep driving straight. Minho frowns; he's never really considered it before, but since Jisung walks past the shelter after his classes, that means... "You don't stay in the on-campus dorms?"

"Uh, no. I have other living arrangements because of my scholarship," Jisung explains, and Minho doesn't prod for more information. Still, he does mull over this. Both Hyunjin and Seungmin live on the JYP campus, so he doesn't have any prior knowledge of off-campus housing. He tries to remember if they mentioned anything about scholarship students living elsewhere, but draws a blank, and just pushes it to the back of his mind. They pass the shelter and eventually Jisung asks him to pull over into the small parking lot of a rather short building, not more than six stories from what Minho can see. It isn't too far of a walk from the university, thankfully.

Minho thinks he's been here before, actually. He racks his brain for the memory as Jisung bids him a quick goodbye and jogs over to the entrance of the building, squinting at the windows like it will somehow help him remember. Then, it clicks: he was here once, when Hyunjin was a sophomore. They had just finished having dinner with Changbin, and Hyunjin had asked, with his puppy dog eyes, whether they could drive him to his classmate's dorm so he could return a speaker he borrowed.

 _He's from China,_ Hyunjin had explained, when they arrived at the dorm building and Changbin wondered aloud why the kid didn't stay on campus like the rest of them. _All the foreign students stay here, since most of them fly home just once a year and campus dorms aren't open during vacation weeks._

Something isn't quite right, though. Hyunjin had said that the foreign students stay at this dorm, but from what little Jisung speaks of his childhood, it sounds like he grew up in Korea, from the food he ate to the elementary school he went to. Why would he be staying in an international dorm?

Minho frowns. Jisung had said it was because of his scholarship that he stays here, but following Hyunjin's explanation, he probably stays in this dorm because he doesn't go home often. Something in Minho's stomach clenches uneasily.

He's lost in his own thoughts until Jisung comes back, this time in a white sweatshirt and jeans, the same jacket thrown over his shoulders and Minho's clothes draped over one arm. He slides into the passenger seat and adjusts the baseball cap on his head, smiling at Minho. "Alright, let's go!"

Minho opens his mouth, then hesitates. Every moment he has ever asked Jisung a personal question and the younger boy had dodged it, every time Jisung had shifted uncomfortably when their families was brought up, every unassuming comment that Minho never pried into, it all flashes by his mind's eye in quick succession. The smile on Jisung's face fades into confusion. "Hyung?"

Minho looks away and swallows the question on the tip of his tongue. Instead he says, "Sorry, spaced out there. You can put my clothes in the backseat."

Jisung's smile returns, and he happily settles into his seat as Minho starts up the car. He hums along to the song playing on the radio. "Where are we having lunch?"

"There's a ramen place we usually go to," Minho answers, looking at the roads because he isn't sure what he'll say if he looks at Jisung's face. "It's near our old university, so it was convenient. Now we just go there because it's a tradition."

They drive the rest of the way in relative silence, broken up by the radio's chatter and small talk passing between them. Jisung sings along to the random pop songs, tapping his hand against the windowsill, blissfully unaware of the thoughts running through Minho's head. The older boy tries to push the issue to the back-burner when they pull up to the ramen joint and get out of the car, knowing that his friends would take one look and know that there was something on his mind.

"Minho-hyung!" Hyunjin waves at him when they enter. The place is pretty crowded, but they managed to snag a booth near the entrance. Changbin sizes Jisung up as they approach, and it's Hyunjin who breaks the first-meeting awkwardness. "Hey, Jisung-ssi! We've never talked, but I've seen your paintings before. They're really good."

"Ah, really?" Jisung says shyly, scratching his neck. Minho smiles, subconsciously proud. "They're not really, but thank you. You're Hyunjin, right?"

Hyunjin nods, and Jisung turns to Changbin, smiling cheekily. "You must be Changbin-ssi, then. I heard you're paying for our meal today. Thanks, I'll eat well!"

Changbin stares at him for a second, then snorts, addressing Minho, "Keep this one." The oldest boy turns bright red.

A waiter takes their orders and brings their waters, and after he leaves, Minho cuts to the chase. "So why did your parents ask you to come home for dinner, Binnie?"

Changbin, surprisingly, is smiling when he answers. "My sister is getting married."

Hyunjin nearly spits out the sip of water he'd taken while Changbin was speaking. "Hyomin-noona is _what_?"

Minho had only met Changbin's sister once, in passing. When Changbin graduated, he asked if Minho wanted to come for his graduation ceremony, and of course Minho said yes. His entire family had been there. Minho remembers a pretty young lady coming up to him and thanking him for taking care of her little brother while he was in university, her hair gracefully pulled into a bun and her make-up impeccable, tugging a teenage girl along with her. He also remembers a petite middle-aged lady, smiling proudly at her son when he walked across the stage to accept his diploma. His father, on the other hand, had just clapped politely and patted Changbin on the back after the ceremony, and even Minho could tell this was the most affection he was willing to give.

Of course, his reaction may have been different if he knew that Changbin was going to run off and become a tattooist pretty much immediately after graduating.

"Yeah, Seungjun-hyung finally proposed," Changbin says, looking happy for his sister and future brother-in-law, before his expression changes. "But of course my dad had to say something stupid about how I should follow in her footsteps and marry someone in the chaebol circles, too, since my career isn't going anywhere." He rolls his eyes. "I don't even have a boyfriend right now."

"Your parents are okay with you taking a boy home?" Jisung asks, eyes wide. Changbin shrugs. "More like they tolerate it. My mom's a little more accepting, even if she's still kinda uncomfortable with it. Conveniently, I came out at the same time I told my father I didn't wanna work for the family's company, so he was more focused that than anything else than came out of my mouth. Now he treats my sexuality the same way he treats my job and pretends both things don't exist."

Jisung purses his lips worriedly, but Changbin looks unaffected. The Changbin Minho knew in university was vastly different from the Changbin now; he was scared of disappointing his parents, struggling to keep his sexuality a secret from his family. But Minho had seen him grow a lot since his freshman year, watched as he took risks and became more confident in his own skin, and finally it culminated in a fall-out in with his father. Which, truthfully, probably wasn't the most ideal outcome, but Changbin seemed a lot happier after he got that weight off his chest. Besides, Changbin's family issues are only Minho's business as far as Changbin wants them to be. He's just there to support his friend and pay half the rent while he's at it.

"How did Yerin react to it?" Hyunjin asks, smoothly changing the subject. Changbin laughs at the mention of his little sister. "She was a little sulky that noona chose Seungjun-hyung's niece to be flowergirl instead of her, but Seungjun-hyung spoils her, so obviously she's happy he's gonna be around permanently to treat her to ice cream and buy her all the clothes she wants."

They talk over their steaming bowls of ramen about when the wedding is going to be (late spring because they want to have the ceremony outside), where it's going to be (the private gardens where the couple had their first date) and whether it's going to be public (Changbin's sister already said she wants a small wedding with minimal press coverage). Hyunjin seems overwhelmingly excited, which is to be expected. He's known Changbin's family since he was a kid, it might as well be his own sister getting married. Jisung chips in from time to time, becoming fast friends with the two boys, and Minho sits with his leg pressed against Jisung's, slurping his ramen and enjoying the nice atmosphere.

He almost wishes he were here to introduce Jisung as his boyfriend rather than have a friendly meal between friends, but he pushes the thought away. _Dangerous,_ he thinks, and focuses on the salty taste of his ramen broth and the lilt of Jisung's laugh.

"Hey, Jisung, are you gonna participate in the winter showcase?" Hyunjin asks, diverting Minho's attention away from any straying thoughts. He raises an eyebrow, looking over at Jisung, and the memory of Seungmin in the cafe comes to mind. _He's good enough to be in almost every art showcase the school puts up, even when we were freshmen._

Jisung half-nods, half-shrugs in response. "Submissions are next week. I'll try, but it really depends on my professor's approval."

"I'm sure you'll get in," Hyunjin assures. "You're pretty famous for your showcase pieces, you know."

Jisung ducks his head. "Yeah, I suppose. We'll have to see what happens this time." He turns his phone on and checks the time. "Oh, shit, I still have to get back to campus for my studio slot. I should probably go."

"I'll drive you," Minho says immediately, already standing up, but Jisung pushes him back down. "It's okay, hyung, I can take the bus. You haven't even finished your food!"

Minho frowns down at his bowl of half-eaten ramen. He hadn't even noticed. "Are you sure? I don't mind."

"Seriously, hyungie, chill. We already spent last night together, anyway, you should hang out with your friends," Jisung says, already walking away. He misses the way Minho's face turns pink at his words. "See you! It was nice meeting you guys."

Changbin and Hyunjin turn to wave at Jisung until he disappears out the door, before rounding on Minho, their matching shit-eating grins slightly terrifying. Minho hunches his shoulders and mumbles, "What?"

"Jisungie~ Come on, hyung will drive you," Changbin mocks in a sickeningly sweet voice. Minho scowls at him; he did _not_ sound like that!

"Oh, hyungie, but we already spent last night together," Hyunjin coos, fluttering his eyelashes and clasping his hands together. Changbin cackles while Minho sinks further down in his seat, cheeks reddening. "Oh, shut up. That wasn't how it went at all."

"You're so whipped for him," Changbin snickers, wiping tears of laughter away. "The last time I asked you to drive me anywhere you told me I had legs for a reason and then went straight back to eating Nutella out of the jar with a spoon."

"I swear you started glowing every time he laughed, it was hard to watch," Hyunjin adds. When Minho makes no move to defend himself, his eyes sparkle with mirth. "What did he mean by spending the night together, huh?"

Without warning, the memory of the dream replays itself in his head, and a dark red flush travels up his neck. Changbin and Hyunjin start shrieking at his reaction. "Oh, so something did happen!"

"No! Oh my God, you guys love jumping to conclusions," Minho shakes his head quickly, trying to get his blush under control. "We didn't do anything, okay? We had dinner together and then watched some TV while drinking wine, and then he fell asleep so I let him have my bed. That's it."

His two friends stare at him, silent until Hyunjin whistles lowly. "Holy shit, that's domestic. It's like you're already married."

"All that's left is for you to adopt a kid and complete the family," Changbin agrees. "Wait, I forgot, you already treat Byeol like your child."

"Can you guys just drop it?" Minho grumbles. "We're not even dating."

"Not yet," Changbin corrects. "I reserve the right to say _I told you so_ when you do."

Minho rolls his eyes, filling his mouth with ramen instead of protesting. _Like that's ever gonna happen,_ he thinks to himself. _I'll stop myself from dating Jisung just to spite Changbin._

Still, thinking about Jisung dressed in his clothes, Jisung falling asleep on his shoulder and curling up in his bed, Jisung humming along to the songs on the radio, Jisung waving at him with that soft little smile as he leaves the ramen place, he can't help but hope. Just a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love chatfics so i let myself indulge a little and write out their gc texts lol the chat name is very apt
> 
> alright so IMPORTANT (sorta) i'm really grateful for the support this fic has gotten, even if it's not as big as some other fics i still love every single reader and subscriber. i want to thank you guys in some way, hence i'm doing a giveaway of sorts! i don't have any money to send y'all presents but i can give a short ficlet as a gift hehe~ if you wanna join please write a stray kids prompt in the comments, it can be related to this ficverse or some other au entirely and it doesn't have to be minsung Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ feel free to be as specific or vague as you want, but please be aware that my word limit for this is 1k+ words so i can't include anything too complicated and i also don't write explicit-rated content. i would really prefer you comment with your ao3 pseud but if you don't have an ao3 account yet you can include your twitter handle so i can contact you!
> 
> if you don't have a prompt right now, don't worry! this will run for the next two chapters (chapter 7 and 8) and the selected prompt (chosen by random) will be announced in the notes of chapter 9, so you can comment anytime and as many different prompts as you want over the next two weeks. the fic itself will be posted on dec 25 so you can have a lil present waiting for you on christmas（ﾉ｡≧◇≦）ﾉ i wish i could write for every single one of you but i can't, hopefully i can do another giveaway like this at another time? i really hope you guys participate in this! if this flops uhh jisung hacked my account ok see you lovelies next time


	8. can you make me leave my demons and my broken pieces behind?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> please!!! read beginning notes for content warnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning: anxiety attacks, abuse, child neglect, homophobia. please read this chapter with caution and exit at any point if you feel uncomfortable. if any of these are your triggers and you're unable to read/finish the chapter, dm me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/ghiblisminho) and i'll give you a brief description of what happens. stay safe everyone

Byeol is well-adjusted to the life of a housecat. She loves napping by the window and walking all over Minho's keyboard when he's trying to work from home. More than once, Minho has caught Changbin sneaking her treats just before her mealtimes, something he always scolds the younger boy for but can never truly gets the message across, so it seems everyone falls for her charms one way or another. She's growing bigger by the day, and sometimes Minho just looks at her in bewilderment, wondering if this is the same tiny kitten that Jisung had bundled in his jacket that rainy autumn night. She's old enough to be perfectly fine at home without his supervision.

Still, sometimes he worries. The temperature has dipped drastically, forcing Minho to bring out his thicker coat instead of just relying on his jacket, and he tries to remember whether he set the thermostat to an appropriate setting before he left the house. Changbin had texted him a picture of Byeol eating breakfast just before he left for the tattoo studio, and he pulls it up on his phone, smiling at the image of Byeol hunched over her food bowl, her tongue stuck out mid-lick. 

The corded telephone, usually set on the desk next to the laptop in silence, starts ringing, startling Minho out of his own thoughts. He switches off his phone and picks up the call, mentally preparing to attend to a possible adopter or handle an injured stray sighting. "Hello, this is SK Animal Shelter. How can I help you today?"

 _"Hi, uhm, is this Minho-hyung?"_ Says a familiar voice, distorted by the receiver.

Confusion bubbles up in Minho's stomach. "Yeah, this is Lee Minho. Felix? Is that you?"

 _"Oh, yes, hi hyung. Sorry, I don't have your mobile number, but Jisung has mentioned the name of the shelter before, so I just Googled you guys and called the number that was listed,"_ Felix says, not quite explaining anything.

"Well, okay, but why are you calling?" Minho asks, before a thought strikes him and fear claws up his throat, burning acidic against his insides. "Did something happen to Jisung? What's going on?"

Felix is silent for a few seconds, which is enough to send Minho's heart palpitating. When he finally speaks, it doesn't reassure Minho in the least. _"Not... Not exactly. I didn't see him this morning, around the dorms, so I thought he just slept late or something. But our art history lecture started an hour ago, and he hasn't turned up or picked up my calls, and-"_

"And Jisung never misses class," Minho finishes for him, already rising out of his seat. Felix hums in response, sounding worried. _"I don't suppose he's with you, is he? Or told you anything since this morning?"_

Come to think of it, Jisung hadn't sent him a text since last night. Ice runs cold through his veins. "No, I haven't heard from him. I'm- I'll try finding him now."

 _"Finding him?"_ Felix whisper-yells. _"Hyung, aren't you at work right now-"_

"It's fine, my boss will understand," Minho dismisses, grabbing his phone and coat. "Thanks for telling me, Felix. I'll text you if I find out what happens to Jisung."

He hangs up quickly and briskly walks to Chan's office, forcing himself not to run. Chan is tapping away on his laptop, but he lifts his head when Minho raps his knuckles against the doorframe. 

"Can- Can I take my lunch break now?" Minho asks, trying to keep the worry out of his voice, but a tinge of shakiness bleeds into it anyway. Chan's brow creases when he looks down at the time displayed on his laptop screen. "Now? It's like 9am."

"I know, but Jisung didn't show up for class, and he _never_ skips, and, and his friend called me and he isn't picking up any of his calls-"

"Minho, _breathe_ ," Chan cuts in, his brow creasing even further. Minho stops his rambling to take a deep breath, feeling his lungs fill with air, and releases it all in a rushed exhale. 

"You can go," Chan continues. Minho could cry in relief. "Don't worry about your break, I'm not gonna deduct it from your lunch hour."

"Thank you, hyung," Minho says, already backing away. Chan nods, eyes softening. "Text me when you know that Jisung is safe, okay?"

Minho barely manages a _yes, hyung_ over his shoulder before he's darting down the corridors, letting the back door slam shut behind him. His car is parked at the far end of the parking lot, and he curses under his breath as he runs over. 

The first place Minho deems most logical to check is Jisung's dorm. The drive there feels like a stretch of eternity, and he's so distracted he almost runs a red light. No sooner has he pulled his car into park than he is already out of the door and sprinting across the parking lot. His heart is beating erratically in his chest, and he can't help but think of a dozen things that could have happened to Jisung as he waits for the elevator, fingers drumming impatiently against his thigh. _What if he's being robbed and held at gunpoint? What if he fell and got a concussion and nobody came to help him? Oh my God, what if he's_ dead?

This may seem like an extreme overreaction to anyone who isn't friends with Jisung, but Minho knows all about the boy's unhealthy workaholic tendencies. Jisung never misses class, not even when he's sick. He'll drag his own bruised and battered body across campus to the lecture hall if he has to. One time, when Byeol was still staying at the shelter, Jisung had showed up in the morning, obviously feverish and practically falling asleep on his feet, and still Minho had to argue with him for a solid twenty minutes and then manhandle him into Woojin's car to force him to go back to his dorm room instead of his afternoon lecture.

The elevator takes him up to the fourth floor, and he squeezes past the doors before they're fully open. Jisung's room is right at the end of the hallway, next to the window that looks out onto the street. Minho knocks twice, then listens for any sign that someone inside has heard him, skin tingling with nerves. It's silent.

Wringing his hands, he breathes in deeply before he turns to the window. There's a cute little succulent in a white pot on the window ledge, exactly like the last time Minho was here, arm wrapped around the waist of a sick and half-asleep Jisung. The younger boy had been barely coherent enough to tell him that there was a spare key under the plant before he pressed his fever-hot forehead against Minho's shoulder and left him to fumble around for the key and stumble into Jisung's dorm, struggling when Jisung was leaning his full weight onto him. Minho does the same now, lifting the pot and grabbing the key underneath. He slots it into the lock and turns the key, pushing the door open.

It looks almost exactly the same as it did when Minho was carrying Jisung back to his dorm: the bed is unmade, there are art supplies and textbooks all over the desk and Jisung's jacket is hanging off of a chair. The difference is that Jisung is sitting with his knees to his chest on the floor, leaning his back against the headboard, and there are tears streaming down his face. He's trembling, breathing quickly in short little gasps, and his hands are clenched so tightly his knuckles are white. Somewhere amidst the haze that clouded Minho's mind when he saw his friend in this state, he realises that Jisung is having an anxiety attack.

Minho snaps out of it, slowly approaching Jisung and crouching down. He speaks calmly and clearly, pushing away his own terror and prickly panic. "Jisung? Jisung, this is Minho-hyung. I'm here. Can you look at me?"

Jisung lifts his head to meet Minho's concerned gaze. His eyes are slightly unfocused and he looks away quick, but he's responsive, and Minho counts it as a good sign. He continues, "Jisung, can I touch you?"

Jisung takes a shuddering breath before nodding once, curt and small. Minho moves slowly until he's settled closer to Jisung, reaching out to rub soothing circles over his shoulderblades, feeling the way Jisung is shaking even through his shirt. He murmurs the same instructions and reassurances over and over. "Deep breaths, Jisungie, slowly. Breathe in, one, two, three, four. Now hold it. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Breathe out, this time through your mouth. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. It's gonna be okay, it'll be over soon. Hyung is here, I'm not going anywhere."

They sit like that, Jisung taking wobbly breaths per Minho's instruction and the older boy rubbing his back comfortingly, until the trembling slowly stops and Jisung can breathe in and out without choking mid-way through. He unclenches his fists to bury his face in his hands, breathing in and out normally to compose himself, and Minho flinches when he sees that Jisung's fingernails have left bright red crescents on his palms. It's quiet until Jisung looks up, his lower lip still trembling, and it only takes Minho softly saying his name, more of a exhale shaped like _"Jisung"_ than any coherent word, for him to break down in tears again.

"Come here," Minho offers, finally sitting down on the floor properly, and Jisung melts into his arms, resting his head against Minho's collarbones. Minho cards his fingers through Jisung's hair, resisting his own urge to cry. There's an ache in his chest, like a noose wrapped around his heart, and he knows he would do anything for the younger boy to stop hurting. They're close enough that Minho can feel Jisung's pulse, and he's sure Jisung can hear his heartbeat from where he's huddled against Minho's chest, too. _At least his pulse has slowed down,_ he notes. _The attack is over._

Eventually, Jisung's crying slows into sniffling, and he wipes his face with the back of his hand as he pulls away from Minho. The older boy gently disentangles himself from Jisung, walking over to the desk and shrugging off his coat. He leaves it draped over the chair, next to Jisung's jacket, and picks up the box of tissues next to a stack of notes. By the time he closes the door and sits back down next to Jisung, his tears have been reduced to the occasional sniffle.

Minho passes him a tissue. "Do you... Do you want to talk about it?"

Jisung doesn't reply as he dries his eyes, and Minho thinks that's the end of that conversation, not wanting to prod into Jisung's private business despite his own morbid curiosity. But then Jisung laughs, thin and bitter and not at all like the happy tinkling laughter Minho is used to, and it's like a bucket of cold water over Minho's head. Whatever it was that caused Jisung to have an anxiety attack, it was _big._ It was hurt accumulated over a long period of time, spilling over to stain his life like ink spreading over paper. The realisation leaves Minho shaken and nauseous. _What has Jisungie been hiding from me?_

"I suppose I should start from the beginning, right?" Jisung says. "Do you remember when I said I only started to take art seriously in high school?"

Minho nods, but Jisung isn't looking at him. His gaze is locked on his own hands. "It was kind of a lie. I always took art seriously, I just didn't have the means to express it. When I was seven, I asked my mother whether I could go for art lessons, and she told me it was a waste of money."

He pauses to breathe in before continuing. "My parents were never the affectionate type. They took care of me in the sense that they fed me and clothed me, did the bare minimum to keep themselves out of jail for child neglect, but they never showed that they loved me. I thought it was normal until I started going to school and all the other kids talked about how their parents took them to Lotte World, or bought them presents on a whim, or even just read them bedtime stories. I thought there was something wrong with me, that I was such a bad kid that my parents didn't love me as a punishment.

"I spent so much of my childhood trying to get their approval, but it just never worked. My dad was always more distant, and he worked a lot so he was never around. My mother sometimes treated me well, but she would also blow up at me for the tiniest things. By the time I turned thirteen, I had just given up and accepted that I was this unlovable child that nobody wanted."

"That's not true," Minho cuts in, so fiercely he surprises even himself, and grabs Jisung's hands. "Jisung, you- you deserve so much, and you're loved, okay? Chan-hyung, Woojin-hyung, Felix, me, we all want you around."

Jisung squeezes his hands. "I know that now. It was- is just hard to remember, sometimes."

"When I was fifteen, my grandma fell sick," Jisung continues. "She lived in Malaysia, so my dad made the decision to move our entire family there so he could take care of her. My parents fought about it a lot, and I didn't want to leave my friends either, so I was on my mother's side, but eventually my dad won and we left Korea. I went to high school there, and it was okay for me. I had learned by then not to rely on my parents for anything other than food and money and a roof over my head.

"My dad got a job there pretty fast, and he also spent a lot of time by my grandma's side, taking care of her. He was, somehow, even more detached from me and my mother than he had been in Korea. But my mother, she had a hard time adjusting. She couldn't find a job, so instead she went out and got drunk in broad daylight. She came back home wasted more than she came home sober."

Jisung swallows thickly, and Minho is almost expecting the next words that come out of his mouth. It doesn't make the impact any softer. "When she got drunk, she would say these- these things to me. About how I was a disappointment, and how they never wanted a child, and that I was nothing but a burden, shit like that."

"Oh, Jisungie," Minho whispers, stricken, and Jisung lets a dry, flat laugh escape his mouth. "It's fucked up, right? That was what it took for me to realise that my parents had never wanted me, and they were doing all this out of obligation rather than love or even any semblance of well-meaning.

"I hated it when she got drunk, because no matter what she said to me I still had to help her into bed and clean up her messes, because if my dad came home to see that I hadn't then I'd get a scolding. Even if it was my mother's fault. But I figured, if I was out of the house when she came home, then I wouldn't be held responsible. So I joined the art club at school."

Minho notes the way Jisung's tone changes, softening with the note of wistfulness that seeps into his voice. "I think, if it wasn't for that art club, I would have never escaped my parents. The friends and works I made there barely held my life together when everything else was falling apart so rapidly. It was like an escape, a safe house, and I spent more time in the studio than was strictly allowed by school rules. It was the teacher that ran the club who encouraged me to apply for art scholarships rather than just aim to graduate with a degree that would get me a stable job. And- And it was where I met him. My first boyfriend."

Minho holds his breath. Jisung has never talked about his past relationships, or even really about his sexuality. There's a sinking feeling in his stomach, like he knows how the story ends. "We never really told anyone about our relationship, especially not our parents. In school, we had to be careful, and we never hung out at each other's houses. He was an amazing artist, but his art was always so sad, and I think I was the only one who understood. My pieces were the same, after all.

"We were together for eight months, in my last year of high school, and we were talking about going to the same university after graduation. We were almost free, and it made us careless. Just once, on the last day of school, we kissed in the studio when nobody else was inside. But..."

Jisung's voice is no louder than a murmur. "But we didn't know there was someone outside, taking a picture and posting it online. I didn't know about it until I got home, because somehow, my parents had seen it.

"When I got home that day, my parents were waiting for me. My mother was red in the face and she- and she shouted that she couldn't believe she raised a- a-"

"You don't have to say it," Minho tells him quietly. Jisung nods, swallowing the word lodged in his throat. 

"And then she slapped me."

The world is, suddenly, still. Minho's vision tunnels, until he can only see Jisung in front of him, curling into himself like a small child, looking anywhere but Minho's face, and he barely chokes out an _"Oh my God,"_ before he suddenly breaks, tears welling up in his eyes.

"It was the first time she laid a hand on me," Jisung continues. "And I was so shocked I couldn't do anything but look at my dad. He wasn't- He didn't do anything, didn't try to stop her or even look at me. His silence said everything.

"So I packed my things and left that night, took everything I needed and just bolted. I stayed at my grandma's old house for a few days, where I knew neither of my parents had been since she passed away, and sorted out my acceptance letters. I needed to get as far away from them as possible, so I chose to come back to Seoul and accepted a scholarship offer from JYP. The only time I talked to them again was when I went to my dad's office, where I knew my mother wouldn't be, and told him I was going back to Korea. He didn't say anything to me, just booked me a flight to Seoul and handed me the papers. I caught that flight two days later and I haven't been gone back since.

"I haven't even talked to them, actually, until, until-" Jisung clears his throat and sniffles. "The results for showcase submissions came in today, by email. One of the requirements of my scholarship is that I have to keep my art up to a standard where they can display it at the showcase, so that, I don't know, they attract more potential scholarship students or some shit like that. And this time... My piece didn't make it. That's never happened before, and s-so they sent an email to me, separately. About redoing my piece, and re-submission, and how if it doesn't make the cut again they might have to review my scholarship. A-And they sent an email to my parents, too, per protocol."

Minho's chest feels like it's weighed down with an anchor. "Oh, God."

"Yeah, and- and my mother called. And she was obviously drunk again, and she just- she just yelled at me for being a let-down and gay and bringing my family nothing but trouble, and I hung up but I couldn't help it, I just couldn't take it-" And here, a fresh wave of sobbing starts up again. "I can't lose my scholarship, hyung, I, I can't go b-back there, I can't-"

"It's okay, everything's going to be okay," Minho tells him, bringing him into a hug, even though he's crying a little too. "I'm sorry, Jisungie, hyung is so sorry that you had to go through that."

"Does anyone else know about this?" He asks, when the sobbing makes way for exhaustion and the occasional tear slipping down Jisung's cheek. "Do you go to a therapist?"

"I've been to the school counselor a couple of times, but she doesn't know the full thing. And Felix knows some of it, too," Jisung answers. He sounds so worn out, and Minho wants nothing more than to tuck him into bed. "But honestly, hyung, I've been feeling a lot better since I met you and Byeollie. Happier."

"Me too," Minho agrees softly, watching the way Jisung's eyes are slowly slipping closed. "But I do think you should consider getting professional help. This isn't something I, or Byeollie, can fix, okay?"

"I know, I just don't really have the money to afford it. My scholarship doesn't cover that kind of expense," Jisung mutters tiredly. Minho helps him to his feet and onto his bed. "We'll figure something out, once you feel up to talking about this again. Don't worry, I'm going to be right there."

"Thank you, hyung," Jisung mumbles, his eyelids fluttering shut as his head hits the pillow. His breathing evens out in seconds, and the aching realisation of how emotionally drained Jisung must be washes over Minho in an ice-cold wave. He sighs, knowing he has a few calls to make to explain the situation, but he lets himself be for a few seconds, standing over Jisung and smooths out the creases in his brow, uttering a promise he won't break. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You're staying right here with me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was so, _so_ difficult to write and i think it's reflected really clearly in the writing but, well. i do have to explain jisung's backstory and i'm sorry for hurting everyone like this
> 
> i do have some thoughts to share about this: the trope of homophobic parents is widely used in fanfiction and this might mean that some people no longer take it seriously beyond a surface-level understanding but please, please always remember that this is the reality of many people out there. some of my friends are living with homophobic parents and risk getting thrown out of their house if they're caught with their partners or their sexuality is revealed. so this is a reminder not to out anyone without their permission. and if you are an lgbtq+ person living with homophobic/transphobic parents, i send my love and support to you, and hope that everything works out for you and what happened to jisung does not happen to you.
> 
> on a lighter note, the giveaway is still ongoing and if you don't know what i'm talking about, please refer to the end notes of chapter 7! even though i think the mood of this chapter is quite a downer and i think not many people would want to comment a prompt after reading this, you can always come back later. i love you guys and i hope this chapter doesn't affect you too badly. remember that this is just fiction and the real han jisung we all love is safe and happy :)


	9. make the most out of no time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, returning to this fic after an unexpected 2 week hiatus: hey demons it's me ya boi
> 
> yeah idk i'm sorry (╥_╥) i had to finish up a secret santa fic (why do i sign myself up for things. why) and i'm currently on holiday in japan without my laptop so writing is difficult and spelling errors are probably everywhere, sorry :p n e ways i'm back have whatever this is
> 
> also! A PROMPT HAS BEEN SELECTED!! drumroll please... the winner is planetjoy19! yay ^^ they requested for a minsung prom au so stick around on christmas if you wanna read that! thank you to all the lovely people who sent in prompts, i wish i could write all of them :-( ily tho! thank you guys ♡

Minho takes another sip of his Americano, warming his hand against the cup as he walks briskly down the sidewalk. The wind tousles his hair as it whistles past, and he buries his face deeper into his scarf. The first snowfall isn't far off, he knows, and he just hopes he isn't caught outside when it happens.

He slows his steps as he approaches one of the buildings in a line of tall, rather intimidating buildings. The interior is flooded with orange light and it looks warm, and Minho internally pits the inviting possibility of warming up against the hassle of having to talk to the security guy behind the desk and explain why he's awkwardly standing in the lobby. He's saved from having to decide when someone in a black jacket steps out of the elevator, waves to the security guy and walks out of the entrance, wincing when the frigid air envelopes him. Minho grins. He would recognise that head of blonde hair anywhere.

"Jisung!" He says, loudly to catch his attention. Jisung looks up from his shoes, smiling when he realises who it is, and hurries over with his hands in his pockets. "Hey, hyung. Errands all done?"

Minho holds up the shopping bags in the hand unoccupied by the coffee cup. "Yeah. Luckily, I didn't get lost trying to find the laundry detergent."

"That would be like you," Jisung snorts, and Minho elbows his side in retaliation. They start walking back the way Minho came, shoulders bumping together, and Minho lets himself enjoy the comfortable silence for a few seconds before he asks, "So how was your session?"

Jisung isn't looking at Minho when he answers, but his tone is calm and happy, which Minho takes as a good sign. "It went well. Dr Park let me go on and on about art for most of it, actually, though we did have a discussion about whether medication would be a good option for me."

Minho had waited for Jisung to talk to him first, about what happened that one day Minho found him having an anxiety attack on the floor of his dorm room. He didn't have to wait long; two days later, Jisung had raised the issue while he was cuddling Byeol. They had talked it out and agreed that Jisung should start seeing a therapist, just to give it a try. Minho was, obviously, not going to let Jisung see just any therapist, so he had asked around to scope out someone with recommendations. Chan, who had friends all over the place, knew a guy who knew a guy, which eventually led to Minho calling up Dr Park Jinyoung's office and scheduling an appointment with a nervous Jisung next to him. It had gone well, well enough for Jisung to arrange a second session by himself. Minho had said he needed to do some errands in the area and could accompany him, which wasn't wrong, but perhaps he had the exact same department store close to his house and didn't have to go to the one near Jisung's therapist. Jisung didn't have to know.

"Yeah? What do you think about getting a prescription?" Minho fores his tone to be light, like he's talking about Byeol and not Jisung's anxiety.

"I don't know, maybe?" Jisung answers, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. "This whole thing is pretty new to me, so I have to think about it."

"Okay," Minho shrugs. He wants to reach out and take Jisung's hand, but his arms stay firmly at his sides. "It's up to you. Just think about it carefully before you make a decision."

They move on to other topics, like Jisung's classes. The younger boy had talked out an arrangement with his professor regarding participating in the winter showcase, and he had another deadline in a month's time. It's the usual two-month process halved, but Jisung just seems happy that he could get another shot at it. He also wants to see Byeollie, given that he's been held up with school stuff for the past few days, and Minho just smiles and pulls him down the block to the bus stop that runs a circuit to his apartment.

They pass through a neighbourhood with pretty houses lining the street. Across the road, there's a woman standing with a golden retriever by her side, waiting patiently for its owner to finish her phone call. Minho smiles at the dog and subtly waves at it, and its ears perk up. He's just about to tug on Jisung's sleeve and point it out to him when the taxi that had been driving down the street stops and a young lady climbs out of the passenger seat.

Minho almost misses it, but he doesn't.

Immediately, the golden retriever barks excitedly and pulls free from its owner, dragging its leash behind it as it runs across the road. The girl turns to look at it, distracted, just in time to see a car skid to the left, unable to stop in time, and knock the golden retriever down.

The woman, still at the other side of the road, screams, her phone forgotten in her hand. The girl, much like Minho and Jisung, is frozen in shock, staring at the collapsed figure on the road. It's only when the driver comes out of the car, looking harrowed and panicked, and starts approaching the dog at the same time the woman starts running with teary eyes that Minho snaps out of it, cupping his hands around his mouth and calling out, "Hey, wait! Stop!"

The woman and the driver both stop in their tracks, thankfully nowhere near the dog yet. Minho doesn't think, not even fully realising he's slipped into veterinary nurse mode, and makes slow, steady movements towards the Retriever, signalling with his hand for the others to keep away. The dog raises its head as Minho comes closer, teeth bared even though it was obviously in a lot of pain. Minho stops less than half a meter away, reaching out a closed fist and speaking to the Retriever in a soft voice. "Hello there. It's okay. We'll get you to a hospital, don't worry, and you'll be fine in no time. Do you trust me? I need you to be a good dog and let me help you."

It seemed like the stream of mostly nonsense coming from Minho's mouth had helped the dog to calm down, for it stops baring its teeth and sniffs once, though it continues watching Minho with suspicious eyes. Minho continues talking to it as he scans the dog's body for injuries, wincing as he sees its broken leg. Thankfully, it doesn't seem to be suffering from internal bleeding and isn't unconscious, though it's breathing too hard and fast for it to be out of the danger zone. Minho looks up and makes eye contact with Jisung, beckoning with his free hand. The younger boy, his face pale with worry, comes towards them, copying Minho's slow movements and stopping a good meter away from Minho.

"I need you to explain the situation to the owner, tell her I'm a vet nurse and I need to check her dog for injuries. We'll need to transport the dog to an animal hospital, and she has to calm down before she approaches her dog and scares it into attacking," Minho tells him, keeping his voice lowered, and Jisung nods, backing away to where the woman is loudly wailing. Minho turns his attention back to the matter at hand, still speaking to the dog calmly as he moves his hand closer to its neck. It doesn't attempt anything, just watches Minho while panting hard. In one swift movement, he unclips its leash from its collar and brings it closer to him, making sure the dog isn't aggressive before wrapping the leash around its jaw and fashioning a make-shift muzzle.

"Miss, do you have something like a towel or a blanket?" Minho says, addressing the girl still frozen at the side of the taxi. At this point, even the taxi driver has come out of the vehicle, watching this all unfold with mouth agape. When the girl doesn't move, her eyes still fixated on the dog, Minho tries again. "Miss, please, do you have anything like that? We need it to move the dog to a safe location."

"I- I'll take a look at my luggage," the girl says, forcibly tearing her eyes away from the dog and stumbling to the back of the car. The taxi driver follows her, helping to open the trunk. 

Minho looks down the road, relieved to see that there aren't any more cars coming down this way. The golden retriever has started whimpering, turning its head around to nose at its broken leg. It's obviously scared and in pain, so Minho resumes his petting, stroking its head soothingly while talking and occasionally clicking his tongue to keep the dog conscious. 

"Here, this is the only thing I could find," says a voice above him. He looks up to see the girl from before, holding a large, puffy padded coat out to him. He takes it and spreads it out on the road next to him, examining the size. The girl kneels down next to him, reaching out her fist for the dog to sniff, before he whines again and she starts rubbing the fur between its ears. 

"Aish, Sammy, I thought we trained you out of pulling at your leash like that," she gently admonishes, swallowing thickly. 

_Ah, no wonder it started running towards her,_ Minho notes. _She must be that lady's daughter or something._

"Sorry, miss, I'm going to need your help," Minho addresses her, tugging the coat as close to the dog as possible. "It's too dangerous to stay in the middle of the road. We need to move him to the sidewalk."

The girl nods, quietly following Minho's instructions. She pats the fabric of the coat, telling Sammy, _"Up, up,"_ until it shakily lifts itself onto its front legs and resettles such that it's half-lying on the coat. From there, Minho expertly wraps his arms around its back and shifts it such that it's completely lying on the padding. He and the girl grab either end of the coat, using it as a makeshift stretcher and carrying the golden retriever over to the pavement. 

By this time, the middle-aged lady has calmed down significantly, even if her eyes are swollen. She comes hurrying over as they set the dog down, Jisung and the driver of the car that hit Sammy following closely behind. 

"It looks like your dog has a broken leg," Minho tells her as she kneels down beside the girl, face crumpling at the sound of whimpering. "We have to get to a vet hospital quickly, but it isn't showing signs of internal bleeding, so this isn't a matter of life or death. I would prefer to make a splint for its broken leg, just to prevent further injury while transporting it. Do you have a stick or a plank of wood? Something like that?"

The woman nods frantically, looking a bit more reassured that Minho seems to know what he's doing. She digs a bunch of keys out of her purse and passes them to the girl. "Eunbi, quickly, go get that plank of wood from the storage room. Go!"

Eunbi scrambles up, disappearing into the house directly in front of them. Minho checks Sammy over again, noting the scratches on its stomach, though they aren't bleeding too badly, before calling Jisung over. "Jisungie, can you help me Google the nearest vet hospital and call them for me? Tell them a golden retriever has been involved in an accident and we'll be driving there shortly. And it has what looks like a fracture along its fibula."

Jisung nods, retrieving his phone from his pocket and pulling up the search engine. Eunbi comes hurrying back, leaving the door to slam behind her. She hands Minho a thin plank of wood, shorter than what he would have preferred, but he's in no position to be picky right now. Minho can hear Jisung conversing on the phone, and it's a comforting buzz in the background as he aligns the wooden plank along Sammy's hind leg and wraps his own scarf around it, knotting it tightly. 

"Okay, we should transport him into the backseat of a vehicle now," Minho says, half-standing so he can move toward one end of the coat. Immediately, the driver of the car volunteers. "You can use my car."

"Eomma, you stay with Sammy. I'll follow along in the taxi," Eunbi says, and at her mother's nod of agreement, she crosses the road back to the still waiting taxi, but not before carefully looking both ways. Jisung takes her place to lift the other side of the coat, and they manage to lift the golden retriever into the backseat of the SUV. The driver gets behind the wheel and Jisung climbs into the passenger seat, navigating him with his location app. Minho and the woman sit in the middle seats, the latter biting her nails anxiously and turning around to look at her dog every time it lets out a pitiful whine. 

Luckily, the vet hospital isn't very far away. The driver pulls into the parking lot ten minutes later, Jisung hopping out of the car to inform someone that they need assistance, and by the time Eunbi arrives in the taxi, a team of vet nurses have transferred the golden retriever onto a proper dog stretcher and are moving it into the hospital. The two owners follow anxiously, and Minho, Jisung and the driver trail behind them. 

As soon as they get into the building, they're shepherded into the waiting room while Sammy is greeted by a frazzled vet, who questions the nurses in rapid-fire medical terms as they veer down another hallway. The lady goes up to the front desk to answer some questions from the vet tech on duty. The driver and Eunbi converse in low tones, him apologising profusely and her reassuring him that it was an accident and her dog was the one who ran out onto the road. Jisung and Minho sit side by side, giving them a bit of space, and Minho lets his eyes slide shut and takes a deep breath, slowly pulling away from the professional headspace he'd gone into without warning. 

"That was really cool, hyungie," Jisung speaks up softly, gently touching Minho's wrist. The older boy opens his eyes, blinking. "I'm serious," Jisung insists. "You handled it all with such a level head. I don't know what I would have done if I were alone and witnessed that. I don't think they knew what to do either, you know, someone could have gotten hurt. Seeing you jump into action and save the day was like, wow. What's the word?"

Jisung nibbles at his bottom lip, brow creased in concentration before it comes to him. His face lights up and he snaps his fingers; it's adorable. "Inspiring! That's right. You were really inspiring, hyungie."

Minho smiles gratefully, ruffle the hair at the back of Jisung's head. "Thanks, Jisungie. But I was just doing my job."

"You were still cool, though," Jisung says, leaning into his side. "Treasure this moment, 'cause I'm probably never telling you that again."

Minho laughs and shoves Jisung lightly, but the younger boy just sticks himself back to Minho's side like glue, and Minho obviously isn't going to push him away. 

The lady returns from the front desk, but instead of sitting next to her daughter, she turns to Minho. "Thank you," she says, grasping Minho's hand gratefully. "Thank you so much. You were such a great help, young man. We would have been so helpless if you weren't on the scene. Thank you."

Minho smiles at her gently, and parrots back, "You're welcome, ma'am. I was just doing my job."

"Is there any way I could repay you for this?" She asks. Minho waves his hands frenetically. "No, no. Really, it's not a big deal. I think, actually, that we should get going. I hope your dog has a smooth recovery."

They bow at each other, and Eunbi expresses her thanks to him as well, before Minho pulls Jisung out of the waiting room and starts walking towards the exit.

"Oh my God, she looked like she was about to pull out her wallet," Minho mutters, embarrassed. Jisung only giggles, opening his mouth, but any reply he could have said is lost when gentle voice comes echoing down the hallway. 

"Minho? Lee Minho?" 

Minho turns around, blinking in surprise. It almost sounds like — "Jungwoo?"

"It _is_ you!" Exclaims a tall, orange-haired boy dressed in scrubs. He jogs up to them, genuine delight on his face, and pulls Minho into a brief hug. Minho hugs him back, squeezing once before separating, grinning at the boy towering over him. Jungwoo still uses the same cologne, he notes, but otherwise, he's changed a little, more mature in the slope of his jaw and the lines around his eyes. And of course, the hair.

"I haven't seen you so long," Jungwoo says, puppy-like excitement making his face look a little younger. "What are you doing here?"

"There was an accident in a neighbourhood I was passing through, I just helped out," Minho explains, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You're understating it, hyung, you did most of the work," Jisung pipes up. Jungwoo turns to appraise this unknown person, eyes bright with curiosity. Minho amusedly notes the height difference between them; Jisung is downright _tiny._ His heart does a little loop-the-loop at the thought.

"Yeah, Minho has always been like that," Jungwoo agrees, and ignores him when Minho splutters out a protest. "I'm Kim Jungwoo, and you are?"

"This is Han Jisung," he introduces, and Jisung shakes Jungwoo's pro-offered hand. It's bizarre, watching someone from his past and someone very prominently in his life now, interacting in the same space. 

"How do you two know each other?" Jisung asks. 

"We were in the same training attachment after we graduated," Minho says, at the same time Jungwoo brightly replies, "I'm his ex."

Ah. This just got awkward. 

"Ex?" Jisung repeats, his eyebrows shooting into his hairline. Unconsciously, he stands up straighter and looks at Minho questioningly. 

"Uhm. We might have dated for two or three months of that attachment," Minho says weakly. For God's sake, he wishes he had stuck around in the waiting room now. 

"You two are kinda friendly for exes," Jisung says, his tone light, but the set of his mouth is tense. 

Jungwoo shrugs good-naturedly. "The split was mutual. We both just didn't have time for one another and drifted apart."

He lightly socks Minho in the arm. "We were supposed to remain friends, though? Yet we haven't spoken for a while."

"Yeah, sorry, work at the shelter has been busy," Minho winces. _I also adopted a kitten because of a cute boy I like, who's coincidentally standing right in front of you,_ he doesn't add. "Surely it's also hectic at a bigger hospital like this one. They let you dye your hair like that?"

Jungwoo laughs, carding his fingers through the orange strands. "My boss looks intimidating, but he's surprisingly chill. Maybe you should come work here, if you ever dye your hair purple again."

Minho shudders at the memory his post-college graduation bad hair decisions. "No thanks. I'll leave the insane hair colours to _my_ boss for now."

"Hyung," Jisung says, tugging Minho's jacket sleeve. "Shouldn't we go? I have a studio slot after this."

"Your inner needy child strikes again," Minho teases, but he turns to Jungwoo and says, "It was good seeing you after so long."

"Yeah, same to you," Jungwoo says cheerfully, unperturbed by the abrupt end to their conversation. "We should meet up for coffee sometime, catch up."

"We should," Minho agrees. He and Jungwoo didn't work out, sure, but they are definitely better off as friends, and Minho misses talking to him. Jungwoo steps in for another hug, taking the chance to whisper in his ear, "I think you have a lot to tell me about the crush you're nursing on the cutie next to you."

Minho flushes pink, a little embarrassed that Jungwoo could catch on after spending five minutes in their company. He can see the teasing glint in Jungwoo's eyes as he faces Jisung and says, "It was nice meeting you, Jisung-ssi."

"You too, Jungwoo-ssi," Jisung returns, a little too stiffly to be sincere. Jungwoo doesn't call him out on it, instead throwing them a wave over his shoulder as he hurries back to work. "Text me!" He calls at Minho. 

"I will!" Minho yells back as Jisung drags him in the opposite direction. They step outside and make it out of the parking lot before Minho realises: "Wait, you don't have a studio slot today."

"Yeah, I know," Jisung mumbles. He stuffs his hands into his pockets moodily. "I just wanted to get out of there."

Minho snorts. "Jealous?" He mocks, though his heart is thundering in his chest. _No way... Right?_

"Well, I just-" Jisung starts, then cuts himself off. He looks away, looking like he's mentally evaluating his choice of words. "He's just so _tall,_ " he finally decides, his voice whiny. 

Minho stares at him for a moment before he bursts out laughing. Jisung lets out an offended noise, elbowing Minho in the ribs. "Shut up, hyung, you're not exactly gifted in the height department yourself."

"Yes, I know, we're all short in this economy," Minho says, stifling his giggles. "Seriously, Jisungie, don't worry about it. To be honest, I really didn't like the height thing when we were dating. His limbs are so _long,_ I was always tripping over his legs or struggling to keep up with his pace."

He pinches Jisung's squishy cheek. "Anyway, I like that you're short. Easier to cuddle. And boss around."

"You only keep me around to make yourself feel tall," Jisung mutters, batting Minho's hand away. Still, he looks significantly happier at Minho's words. The older boy smiles, pleased. He shoves the unanswered question about jealousy to the back of his mind. He can mull over that later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello jungwoo my Babie! did you know woojin trained at sm and is friends with him hehe i found out and i was like wow i have the perfect character for minho's ex ≧∇≦ stayzens can i get an amen
> 
> the next chapter will probably only be posted after the new year so see you in 2019! and merry chrysler hohoho


	10. it's me and you now, now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> contrary to popular belief, no i'm not dead. surprise! yeah anyway an explanation for why i've been gone for so long will be in the end notes but i won't hold you back from reading any longer
> 
> just a note: christmas culture in korea is pretty different to christmas in the west. my family doesn't celebrate christmas so it's not that weird to me but [here](https://youtu.be/FRzHeS54454) is a video that explains the differences in case you're interested!
> 
> and (last thing i promise) if you're craving some more minsung, the minsung prom au i wrote for my lil giveaway thing has been posted and you can read it [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17258519)

"Is it just me, or are those dark clouds outside?" Minho calls to Changbin, adding more cheese to the pot of budae jjigae simmering on the stove. His roommate is perched precariously on one of the chairs he dragged out from his room, attempting to hang some tinsel along the top of their living room window. He stops in the middle of pressing Blu Tack to the wall, squinting out of the window, and hums in affirmation.

"The weather forecast did say there was a chance of snowfall today," he replies, sticking the last of the tinsel up and clambering off the chair, almost tripping over a napping Byeol. Minho sighs, turning down the heat of the stove and wiping his hands on a kitchen towel. "I hope they get here before they get caught in it. The food's gonna get cold, too."

Every year since Changbin's freshman year, they've hosted a Christmas Eve celebration in their dorm. It wasn't much when they were in university, just a little gathering of friends where they splurged on higher quality take-out, streamed a Christmas movie on Minho's laptop and got tipsy off convenience store soju. After they graduated and got an apartment and were forced to act more like adults, it became a bigger thing, with Minho cooking and actual decorations being put up. The length of the guestlist has increased, too, from a hang-out for four to a dinner party for ten people. 

At least it's an excuse for Minho to ask Jisung to hang out without feeling guilty about stealing his time away. In the past month, the younger has been increasingly busy, spending more and more time studying for his upcoming examinations and working on his showcase piece. Minho hasn't seen him for almost two weeks, and even though they FaceTimed two nights ago so Jisung could say hi to Byeol, he misses Jisung. With a bit of convincing, though, Jisung agreed to spend Christmas Eve at Minho's apartment, mainly because Minho threatened to burn all his books if he dared to study on _Christmas Eve._

The doorbell rings just as Minho sets the pot of budae jjigae down on their dining table, surrounded by several side dishes and bottles of soju. Changbin putters out of his room, changed into a ridiculous dinosaur-themed Christmas sweater, and Minho chokes back a laugh as his roommate answers the door. He hears Changbin say, "Hello, hyungs! Welcome to our humble abode," to whoever's at the door, which means it's probably —

"Nice sweater, Changbin," Chan comments amusedly, just as Minho rounds the corner to greet their guests. He and Woojin are stamping off the snow on their boots, their arms laden with bags of presents. Woojin steps inside first, hanging his coat up on the rack, and smiling when he sees Minho approaching.

"Don't encourage him," Minho says, taking some of the bags off Woojin's hands. Changbin shoots him a betrayed look as he ushers Chan inside and shuts the door, but Minho pays him no mind. "You have no idea how many ugly designs I've had to see over the years."

"Excuse you," Changbin sniffs. "My taste in sweaters is impeccable. At some point, you'll cave in and let me order one for you, too."

"Try again next year, Seo, though I doubt my answer will have changed," Minho snickers, leading them to the dining room. Woojin claps when he sees the spread of food on the table, eyes wide. "Holy shit, this looks good!"

"No touching the food until everyone is here," Minho chides, and Woojin huffs but retracts the hand that was reaching for a pair of chopsticks. Minho picks up one of the soju bottles, shaking it before twisting the cap off and presenting it to the two hyungs. "Drinking, however, is totally encouraged."

The rest of the guests arrive shortly, trickling in within five minutes of each other. Seungmin and Hyunjin arrive next, complaining of the cold and whining that Changbin should have driven to their university to pick them up instead, until Minho gives them control over his Netflix account to shut them up. Jeongin turns up with a store-bought Christmas cake, nose pink from the cold, until Hyunjin jokingly calls him a "cuter Rudolph" and suddenly, it's not only his nose that's red. The doorbell sounds again while Changbin and Hyunjin are fighting over which movie to put on and Seungmin attempts to select _The Nightmare Before Christmas_ without either of them noticing. Woojin sits with Byeol in his lap, purring contentedly as Chan scratches her behind the ears, and Jeongin is discreetly egging Seungmin on. Minho downs his shot of soju before getting up and heading to the door, wondering which of the three other guests it'll be at the door.

As it turns out, it's all of them.

"Minho! I made gingerbread cookies, I hope you don't mind," Jungwoo greets happily when Minho opens the door. His orange hair is tucked under a beanie, and he has a paper bag clasped in his hands. He and Minho met a week ago for coffee, as they promised, and Minho decided to invite him over for Christmas Eve on a whim. He had asked to bring a guest, too, which Minho guesses is the blonde-haired smiley man by Jungwoo's side. And there's Jisung, looking distinctly uncomfortable to be standing next to two giants, but his expression brightens when his eyes land on Minho.

"Of course not, I remember that your cookies were fucking delicious," Minho says, accepting the bag from Jungwoo and peering inside to see a Tupperware of gingerbread men. He turns his attention to Jungwoo's plus-one, smiling cordially and extending his hand. "You must be Lucas, it's nice to meet you."

"Likewise! Jungwoo-hyung told me I could expect to eat lots of good food tonight," says Lucas, taking his hand, and Minho laughs at his honesty. His voice is the opposite of Jungwoo's gentle tone, deep and accented, and Minho notes the honorific. Lucas doesn't look any older than Changbin, but clearly he and Jungwoo are going to tower over everyone except Hyunjin. He ushers them all in, shutting the door before the cold can seep in further and stopping Jisung with a gentle touch on his hand.

"Hey," Minho says quietly, smiling. Jisung's hair is windswept and messy after being out in the winter air, and an adorable pair of circle-lens glasses sits on his nose, and Minho can tell from the button-up he's wearing under his jacket that he genuinely tried to dress nicely for this. The sight sends warmth spreading from his head to his toes.

"Hi," Jisung says, equally as quietly. Jungwoo and Lucas are chattering mere steps in front of them, but somehow it feels like it's just between the two of them, a stolen moment of privacy in the hallway. Jisung smiles apologetically, tilting his head, and his bangs fall in front of his eyes. Minho has to avert his eyes for a split second before they chase their way back to the boy in front of him. "Sorry I've been so M.I.A., hyung, but everything's just been crazy."

"It's alright. Your piece has been submitted, right? Everything's over?" Minho asks. Jisung nods, chewing his lip. "Just one more report due after the Christmas break and a practical exam for one of my electives. My professor will probably email me about the showcase soon."

"Don't worry too much about it. I know you, and I know you'll get in," the older boy reassures, squeezing Jisung's hand soothingly.

"Thanks," Jisung says, shyly ducking his head. "Mostly I just want to get it over and done with and just know if it was accepted or not. Rushing that piece while studying for exams was the worst, thank goodness for Felix's 2am coffee runs. Oh! Speaking of Felix, he wants to say sorry again that he couldn't make it."

"It's not a big deal," Minho says, dismissing it with a wave of his hand. "What is he expected to do, fly back from Australia? It's good that he's spending time with his family for Christmas-"

He's cut off when, from behind them, Changbin loudly and excitedly exclaims, "No way!"

"Dude! This is amazing!" Lucas agrees, to the sound of Jungwoo's delighted laughter. Minho turns to see what the commotion is about, and he stares, half in dismay and half in horrified amusement. At some point in his and Jisung's conversation, Changbin had emerged from the sitting room to greet their guests and Lucas had shed his winter coat, and now the two are facing each other, grinning widely at the matching dinosaur-themed sweaters they're wearing. The design of Lucas' sweater is slightly different, but no less dinosaur-filled and awful.

"Where did you even get those?" Jisung asks, obviously gratified. Minho has the sudden mental image of Jisung wearing one of these terrible sweaters, drowning in the admittedly soft and comfy material, fingers peeking out of his sweater paws, and concedes that Jisung would probably look ten times cuter than Changbin does now. Even if the sweater would make him want to bleach his eyes out.

"Online," Changbin says gleefully. "They were having a sale a month ago."

"We bought it at the same time, then! I bought one for Jungwoo-hyung, too, a sloth one, but he refused to wear it tonight," Lucas says, pouting.

"Cas, I appreciate how much money you spent getting that sweater shipped from California, but there's no way in hell I'm wearing it outside of our apartment," Jungwoo retorts. Minho smirks to himself; so they live together. Interesting.

"You're the one missing out, hyung," Lucas sniffs, attaching himself to Changbin's side. The height difference is so ridiculous it takes Minho's attention off the sweaters for a moment. "You're my new best friend for the night," he tells Changbin, who merely laughs.

Woojin sticks his head out from the living room to survey the scene, looking extremely unimpressed. "This is fun and all, but can we _please_ sit down and eat?"

"Alright, alright, let's go. Damn, you talk like you haven't had a meal for a week," Changbin says, leading the guests through to the living room. As soon as Jisung steps through the doorway, there's a loud, excited meow from the other side of the living room, and Byeol leaps off Chan's lap, practically crashing into Jisung's legs in her haste to greet him. She twines herself around his ankles, rubbing her head against his calves and mewling for attention. Jisung giggles, bending over to pick her up. Byeol is completely compliant in his hands, watching him with wide eyes and her ears flicking. Minho can see Changbin's offended expression out of the corner of his eye; his roommate had tried to pick Byeol up a few nights ago, and it had ended with her batting his hand away and running to hide in the next room. With Jisung, however, she's obedient as he lifts her up until they're at eye level.

"Did you miss me?" He asks, maintaining eye contact and slowly blinking at her. Byeol doesn't reply, but her tongue flicks out to lick the corner of her mouth and she gives an answering slow blink back. Jisung smiles like she had said yes, holding her against his shoulder as if she were a baby. The whole scene is so cute Minho almost coos out loud.

Most of the guests, along with Changbin, have dispersed to the dining area, and the clatter of plates travels out to the living room. Lucas, however, lingers behind, looking at Byeol with child-like wonder. "She's so cute! What's her name? Is she yours, Minho-ssi?"

"Her name is Byeol. Isn't she so sweet?" Jisung fawns, showing off the kitten, and Lucas nods enthusiastically.

"She's adopted under my name, but Jisungie rescued her, so I'd say she loves him more than she loves me and Changbin combined," Minho continues, coming forward so he can scratch Byeol under the chin. Jisung huffs. "Don't be stupid, hyung, she loves you and Changbin-hyung too! She lives with you!"

"Trust me, if I ever got a greeting as enthusiastic as that from her, I'd give her a check-up. Specifically to see if she ate something weird," Minho says seriously. Jisung rolls his eyes, turning so that Byeol faces Lucas, watching him with narrowed eyes. He says over his shoulder, "You can come say hi, if you want. Just a warning, she's not the friendliest with strangers."

Minho steps aside so that Lucas can approach them, tentatively reaching out his fingers. Byeol sniffs them, then turns so that she can rub her face against Jisung's shirt, disinterested. Lucas lets his hand fall away, looking a little disappointed at the lack of enthusiasm on Byeol's end, and Minho pats his shoulder in consolation.

"Sorry, she's a bit of a snob sometimes," he reassures, although his voice is fond. He rounds on Jisung, poking his shoulder. "It's because this one spoils her rotten."

"Hey, excuse me, I'm not the one who sees her everyday. If anything, it would be you spoiling her. Don't think I didn't see that new three-tier scratching post out in the hallway."

"Why don't you guys just live together?" Lucas asks, blinking. "Wouldn't it be easier? I mean, you guys adopted a cat together."

Minho looks at him questioningly. "Well, I don't think Changbin would take it kindly if I just kicked him out," he says slowly. "And Jisungie lives in the university dorms, since it's more convenient."

"Ah, am I being too nosy?" Lucas rubs the back of his neck. "Sorry, I just found it strange. Most couples would live together before getting a pet, you know?"

Jisung turns bright red and Minho chokes on his own spit. _Couple,_ Lucas had said. Oh, God. They've known each other for less than fifteen minutes, can Lucas already see how far gone Minho is for Jisung?

"We're- We're not dating," Jisung says weakly. Byeol meows indignantly, and he loosens his grip, having subconsciously curled his fingers tighter at Lucas' words. He strokes her head in apology, ducking away from Minho's gaze.

"Oh. Sorry," Lucas says. He doesn't look very sorry. In fact, he looks curious, his eyes flitting between Minho and Jisung, like he can see something they can't. "Sorry," he repeats. "I just assumed."

Minho clears his throat, not exactly sure what he can say to salvage the situation, but he's saved from having to think about it when Chan comes into the room. "Hey, are you guys coming or what? Everyone's waiting, and Woojin's starting to complain again."

They step into the dining area, where everyone is seated with steaming bowls of rice and pairs of chopsticks in front of them. Woojin mutters something like, _"Finally,"_ when he sees them come in, his chopsticks already in his hand. Lucas monopolises the seat next to Jungwoo, grinning when the elder slides him a bowl of rice. The only two spaces left are at the end of the table, facing each other, and Jisung lets Byeol down before taking a seat opposite Minho.

Minho reaches over so that he can lift the lid off the pot of budae jjigae, its tantalisingly spicy smell floating through the room. "Let's eat!"

There's a chorus of thanks before everyone descends on the food like a pack of wild vultures. The sound of chopsticks clattering and low hum of conversation sets Minho's mind at ease, as everyone talks in between bites. He meets Jisung's eyes when the younger reaches for the goguma mattang, and he smiles hesitantly. Jisung smiles back, kicking at Minho's feet under the table without any real force behind it, and they're okay again, whatever leftover tension between them dissipating.

They make small talk about their plans for tomorrow. Chan and Woojin are going to Lotte World, to see the Christmas light show and spend the day together. Minho pretends to throw up at their blatant show of romance, but Woojin calmly chews his kimchi and threatens, while pointing his chopsticks menacingly, to send Minho sappy couple selcas throughout the day unless he shuts up. Hyunjin and Seungmin are both going home, Hyunjin because he misses his dog and Seungmin because he misses his mother's cooking. Jeongin will be catching a train to Busan first thing in the morning, not coming back to Seoul until the new year. 

"Jungwoo-hyung and I are probably gonna go downtown and find the least expensive samgyupsal place to eat," Lucas says casually through a mouthful of rice. Minho catches Jungwoo's eye and raises an eyebrow questioningly, and the latter shakes his head subtly, looking embarrassed. Minho snickers quietly. He guesses Lucas, being a foreigner, doesn't yet know that couples spend Christmas together.

Jisung tells them that all the foreign students usually throw a little Christmas party in the common lounge, so he'll go and socialise for once. Minho's heart pangs at the missed opportunity to invite Jisung to spend Christmas with him and Changbin, cozily drinking green tea and binging terrible dramas, but he's happy that Jisung is starting to make friends with his schoolmates.

Within minutes, every single dish is demolished, as one would expect from ten boys crammed at one table. Chan leans back, his bowl licked clean. "Shit, Minho-yah, your cooking is so good. Bring some over to the shelter sometime."

"You have to earn that privilege," Minho teases, standing up and stacking the plates neatly. He makes a shooing motion with his hands. "I can clear up, you guys go watch a movie or something."

Jeongin shoots to his feet. "Dibs on the couch!"

"No fair! You got the couch just now!" Hyunjin whines, chasing the youngest boy into the living room. Changbin and Seungmin are quick to follow, attempting to trip each other up. The rest stay behind to help carry the copious amount of dinnerware into the kitchen, but they return to the living room at Minho's insistence, Chan and Lucas making idle conversation as they leave. 

"Hyung, has Byeollie been fed yet?" Jisung asks. Minho shakes his head, and without having to ask, Jisung tiptoes to reach the middle shelf of the overhead cabinet, already familiar with the layout of Minho's apartment. He takes out a can of chicken-flavoured kitten food, checking the expiration date before humming in satisfaction. Tapping his fingers against the metal, he calls Byeol's name as he exits the kitchen, and by the sound of faint meowing and the jingle of her tags and bell, Minho would guess the kitten has been waiting for him patiently.

He turns, ready to chase Jungwoo out too, but the other boy has a dish towel in his hand, leaning against the sink.

"You wash, I dry?" Jungwoo asks brightly. Minho snorts, but he steps up to the sink, turning the faucet on. It's a familiar scene: Minho scrubbing the numerous bowls and cutlery before passing them over to Jungwoo, who wipes them dry before placing them neatly on the drying rack. This was their system back when they were dating, doing the dishes together after a tiring day of training. The difference is that now, Minho's stomach doesn't fill with butterflies when their hips bump against each other, and Jungwoo doesn't lean over to distract Minho with kisses while he's washing the plates.

"He still doesn't know, right?" Jungwoo asks, keeping his voice low. It's not like anyone can hear them over the soundtrack of the movie and the racket that Changbin and Hyunjin are making, but Minho appreciates the effort. "Jisung, I mean."

Minho sighs softly. "No," he admits.

If someone could dry a plate pensively, that would be Jungwoo right now. "And are you ever going to confess?"

"Maybe," Minho says, shutting off the faucet and handing the last bowl to Jungwoo. He makes a frustrated noise. "He drives me crazy, I swear. Sometimes I feel like he likes me too, and other times he's so dense it's worrying."

"I could say the same about you," Jungwoo retorts. Minho elbows him, but without malice. He can acknowledge that Jungwoo is right. "What's stopping you from just telling him?"

Minho chews his lip. "I don't know," he says. "Just- scared, I guess. Maybe I'm reading the signs wrong? What if he doesn't like me? I don't want to make things awkward, you know. He and Byeol are so attached to each other, I don't want to be the one who drives Jisung apart from her."

"I doubt you could if you tried," Jungwoo says. He puts the dried bowl on the rack, then turns so that he and Minho face each other, his hip resting against the edge of the counter. 

"You're right, he'd probably break into my apartment just to see Byeol if he had to," Minho says with a wry smile. 

"See, you have nothing to worry about," Jungwoo says. "You telling him wouldn't push him away. Trust me. He likes you as much as he likes that cat."

"That's a lie, and you know it."

"Well, at least I tried to comfort you," Jungwoo says with a teasing grin. Minho gasps in mock offence, hitting Jungwoo with the wet dish towel. Jungwoo doesn't even blink, merely holding up a hand. "Let's make a promise, then. If he does something, anything, that tells you how much he cares about you, then you'll confess to him."

"Alright," Minho agrees, linking their pinky fingers. He thinks for a moment, then adds, "It has to be something pretty big, though. Things like hugging or buying each other meals, they don't count."

"Look at you, already sounding like an old married couple." Jungwoo rolls his eyes, but he touches his thumb against Minho's. "Deal."

"Minho-hyung?" Jisung's voice floats in from the doorway of the kitchen. Minho turns to see the younger boy skid to a stop just outside the kitchen, his smile faltering as his eyes land on Jungwoo and Minho's intertwined pinkies, but it comes back just as bright in a second. Minho lets go of Jungwoo's hand, hoping that Jisung didn't hear any part of their conversation. "I want to talk to you. Uh, privately."

"Right now?" Minho asks, although he's already stepping away from the sink. Jisung nods, and Minho half-turns back to Jungwoo, a silent question in his eyes. Jungwoo just nods, dismissing him with an airy laugh. "Go on. I'll bring out the cookies to the others in the living room in a minute."

Jisung grabs Minho's wrist as soon as he's close enough, practically dragging him away from the kitchen, towards the rooms. Minho follows obediently, a dozen questions brewing in his head. They stop just outside of Minho's room, their friends' voices muffled by the walls between them. Minho waits for Jisung to speak, but instead, the younger boy pulls out his phone and turns it on. He holds it out in front of Minho. "Read it, hyung."

Minho takes the phone into his hands gently, scanning over it briefly. It's an email, and when Minho's eyes flick upwards to check the sender, he finds that it's from a professor at JYP University.

 _Dear Han Jisung,_ it says. _Thank you for your timely submission to the winter showcase. After deliberation on the showcase directors' board, they have decided to accept your submission. I am happy to inform you that your piece will be part of the showcase and your scholarship will not be compromised. Congratulations!_

Minho looks up from the phone screen, eyes wide, to see Jisung's huge grin. "Oh my God, Jisungie," he breathes, then throws his arms around the younger boy, hugging him tightly.

"Don't look so surprised, I'll begin to doubt your faith in me," Jisung giggles, leaning into the hug, but Minho can hear the undercurrent of relief in his laughter. Minho merely huffs, burying his face in the younger boy's shoulder. Jisung smells like peaches and he's warm, his hands rubbing gentle circles into Minho's lower back, and Minho wants to stay like this forever. Instead, he pulls away, albeit reluctantly.

"I'm proud of you," he tells Jisung sincerely. Jisung smiles again, his eyes curving into half-moons, and even in the dim light Minho can see that he's blushing.  
"We're allowed to invite guests to the showcase," he says. "You'll come, right? You can bring Changbin-hyung, if you want."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Minho says. He flicks Jisung's forehead gently. "Can't wait to see what your genius brain came up with."

"You're not allowed to call me an idiot ever again, now that you've said that," Jisung teases. He leans a bit closer to Minho. "I hope you'll like my piece, hyung. Don't set your expectations too high."

"I'll like it," Minho says firmly. His heart hammers away in his chest, thumping loudly in his ears. Bravely, he adds, "It's yours. Of course I will."

Jisung just looks at him for a quick few seconds, making heat rush to Minho's face. He doesn't have time to contemplate whether he said the wrong thing, because Jisung's eyes dart upwards briefly before he leans forwards, kissing Minho's cheek.

The sensation of Jisung's lips against his skin is gone as abruptly as it came, but Minho's heart is still struggling to beat normally when Jisung pulls back, looking a little embarrassed.

"Mistletoe," he says softly, pointing upwards. Automatically, Minho tilts his head upwards to see a sprig of mistletoe taped above the door; Changbin must have placed it there as he was decorating, he registers dazedly. Minho nods jerkily, still reeling.

"I-" Jisung starts, then stops. He steps backwards, and Minho barely restrains himself from reaching out for him again. "I'm gonna go back to the living room. Uhm. Come to the showcase, okay?"

He steps back again, once, twice, then turns and tries to walk away without seeming like he's hurrying. He fails, but Minho doesn't chase after him. He raises a hand, touches his cheek. He can feel the heat of his blush, even when Jisung has disappeared from sight. Slowly, a smile spreads across his face, and he lets himself soak in the fuzzy feeling of giddy happiness.

Outside, the first snowflakes begin to fall, painting the night sky with specks of light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes those ugly christmas sweaters are real and you can buy them: [changbin's sweater](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073VXYN35/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&psc=1&linkCode=sl1&tag=hespokestylexmas2017-20&linkId=580465d650d4216a56bdb7eb40ec1fac) | [lucas' sweater](https://www.amazon.com/Blizzard-Bay-Raptors-Christmas-Sweater/dp/B07L6BM3PJ/ref=pd_sbs_193_7?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07L6BM3PJ&pd_rd_r=e8181e1c-1fe4-11e9-b1bf-7d7bb058b622&pd_rd_w=IttlM&pd_rd_wg=3DKkM&pf_rd_p=7d5d9c3c-5e01-44ac-97fd-261afd40b865&pf_rd_r=9C8NETQDEJR7DXPFR5S5&refRID=9C8NETQDEJR7DXPFR5S5) | [jungwoo's sweater](https://www.amazon.com/Blizzard-Bay-Decorating-Christmas-Sweater/dp/B07L6C51G5/ref=srecs_sabr_1/143-4934121-8861565?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07L6C51G5&pd_rd_r=3a7e13d3-1fea-11e9-a390-79d8b511e885&pd_rd_w=MGCns&pd_rd_wg=N9ru0&pf_rd_p=261498e0-385e-4a88-ae9c-17101616d63b&pf_rd_r=NMJ7SY6QK9DC84EJBHZP&refRID=NMJ7SY6QK9DC84EJBHZP)
> 
> fun fact: when a cat slowly blinks at you it's a sign of trust and affection. basically byeol is professing her love for jisung right there uwu


	11. you make my heart shake bend and break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i won't say anything cos i want you guys to read the chapter pls i'm Excited
> 
> their outfits for this chapter are [here](https://twitter.com/supergukkie/status/1101863870589628416) if you're curious

Minho does up the top button of his dress shirt, then eyes himself himself in the mirror critically and unbuttons it again. He gave his hair a spritz of hairspray, just enough so that it parted slightly in the middle, but now he wonders if he should have left it alone. 

He's usually far more confident in his looks and his ability to dress well. But usually, he isn't attending Jisung's art showcase. 

Sighing, he lets his hands fall away from the collar of his shirt. He'll button it up if it turns out to be a more formal event than he anticipated. There's nothing he can do about his hair, not unless he wants to take a shower again. 

Minho grabs the denim jacket hanging on his doorknob, shrugging it on as he leaves his room. The apartment is shrouded in dim orange light, with a single lamp illuminating the darkness, and silent. Changbin left for an appointment at the tattoo studio an hour ago — they have an important client today, a big-name underground rapper that Chan probably knows and Minho definitely doesn't, hence why he can't attend the showcase with Minho.

He grabs his phone and wallet, not bothering to turn the other lights on. Swiping his car keys off the dresser, he wonders if he should bring Jisung out for dinner. The event ends pretty late, but maybe Jisung will want to swing by a convenience store and get ramyeon? If it's too late, he can always stay over —

_Alright. That's dangerous. Don't go there._

Minho makes for the hallway, but stops. Byeol is asleep next to the coffee table, sprawled over a Ryan plushie that used to belong to Changbin but was ultimately stolen by the kitten. The plushie is so big she fits comfortably on top of it, one paw dangling off the edge of the head. She snuffles in her sleep, shifting so that her nose is buried in the plushie's snout. Minho's mouth involuntarily stretches into a soft smile, and he pads over quietly, sitting on his heels and taking out his phone. He starts filming a short video, reaching out his hand to stroke her with his fingertip, and she meows sleepily, ears flicking away from Minho's touch. He laughs and ends the video, switching to his messaging app.

**minhomo**  
Sent a video  
she's sleepy but she's dreaming of  
you

He looks up from his screen to see Byeol blinking at him, her tail lazily swishing in the air. Smiling apologetically, he scratches her under the chin, prompting her to relax again. "Sorry I woke you up," he whispers. "But Jisungie needed to see that."

It seems like Byeol understands, because she mews again before curling up and resuming her nap. Minho shakes his head, amused, but he stands up and flicks the lamp switch off before he puts on his shoes and pulling a thicker coat over his jacket in the hallway.

His phone lights up with a new notification when he's in the elevator, heading down to the parking lot.

 **han squirrel**  
omg  
cute  
thanks hyung

Minho frowns. Videos and pictures of Byeol are always, _always_ replied with a multitude of keyboard smashes and love-struck emoticons.

**minhomo**  
feeling anxious?  


**han squirrel**  
how could you tell?

**minhomo**  
i pay attention to you  
talk to me

Jisung's messages come in quickly, one after another, like he's been holding back on them for the longest time. Minho reads them as he gets in his car, but he doesn't start the engine.

 **han squirrel**  
i don't know  
it sounds stupid  
but  
i'm scared that they'll say there's  
been a mistake  
or  
they'll take away my piece from  
the showcase  
i told you it sounds dumb

Minho shakes his head slightly, pausing as he thinks of what to say. Finally, he settles on:

**minhomo**  
it's not dumb  
and i'll fight anyone who attempts to  
to take your piece away  
before i can take a look at it?  
before i can appreciate this masterpiece?  
before i can post several pictures on  
and make sure everyone sees it?  
not a chance in hell

Putting his phone down on the passenger seat, Minho starts the car and cruises out of the parking lot, winding through the streets to the venue of the showcase. He doesn't see the reply until he gets out of the car, hissing through his teeth as the wind whistles past him because he stupidly decided that he's parked near enough to leave his coat in the car.

 **han squirrel**  
!! don't be extra  
i can actually picture you fighting  
security guards, it's a terrifying image

And, sent two minutes later:

 **han squirrel**  
thank you hyungie  
♥( ´罒`*)

Minho grins. _Mission accomplished._ He slides his phone into the back pocket of his jeans as he jogs up to the entrance. The showcase is held in a rather high-profile art gallery, and Minho immediately feels out of place when he pushes the glass door open to be greeted with an immaculate, white-walled lobby. He can picture Jisung here though, his hair styled and fingers gingerly holding a flute of champagne, mingling with other artists and entertaining potential buyers. The thought makes his heart speed up, and he immediately feels like a high school girl with a crush. He bites down on his lip to stop himself from smiling stupidly, but he does so anyway when he spots a sign propped up on an easel, announcing the JYP University Visual Arts Faculty Showcase.

He heads towards the doorway marked by the sign, grabbing a exhibition catalogue and flipping it open. The word _Inspiration_ is printed in a cursive English font on the cover, indicating the theme for the showcase, and Minho remembers enough from his high school English classes to know what it means. Jisung's name is listed on the second page, under the list of students who contributed to the showcase. Minho resists looking through the descriptions and pictures of the pieces printed further into the booklet; he wants to see the piece for himself first.

The gallery is crowded, though not suffocatingly so. Minho squeezes between men in blazers and women in form-fitting dresses, regretting the fact that he hasn't worn a suit since he graduated college. He overhears quiet conversations about _automatism_ and _juxtaposition_ and something called _impasto_ that sounds suspiciously like Italian food, and the feeling of being out of depth comes creeping back. He wishes Changbin came with him, even though they would definitely get a few dirty looks for the tattoos that decorate Changbin's arms. At least he wouldn't feel like the only person who doesn't have a clue what Die Brücke is.

The booklet doesn't say a thing about the placement of individual pieces, so Minho wanders around near the entrance and admires the pieces. It seems like everyone interpreted the theme differently; he especially likes this one piece of a black-and-white girl asleep, with colourful clouds billowing behind her as she dreams.

"Hyung!" A hand wraps around his wrist, jolting him out of his thoughts. He looks away from the painting of the sleeping girl, his mouth automatically curving into a smile.

"Jisungie!" He greets brightly, but the smile fades slightly when he registers how Jisung looks. He's wearing a grey turtleneck, a checkered blazer buttoned over it, and his hair is swept away from his face. It looks startlingly like what Minho had pictured out in the lobby. He looks good. It's messing with Minho's head.

"Hyung?" Jisung asks, looking down at himself and up again at Minho. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing," Minho says, quelling the fluttering in his stomach. "It's just- I have no idea what anyone is saying." He leans closer to Jisung and whispers, "Impasto doesn't refer to food, does it?"

Jisung giggles, letting go of Minho's wrist to hit his shoulder lightly. "Stop thinking with your stomach."

Minho pulls a face. "Contrary to popular belief, I _do_ have a brain."

"Then use it," Jisung retorts, unconsciously fiddling with his cuffs. His finger twist around the fabric tightly, and Minho stops him with a touch to his wrist. His voice drops into a quieter and gentler tone. "Are you still anxious?"

"You weren't kidding when you said you pay attention," Jisung says, pulling his arm away. Minho just stares him down until he ducks his head, ignoring the slight sting he felt when Jisung moved away from him.

"A little. It's better now that you're with me," Jisung finally admits. He shifts back into Minho's personal space as he talks, and the older boy winds his fingers around Jisung's wrist, tapping his finger against Jisung's arm. Instantly, Minho sees him relax, his fingers unfurling from tightly-clenched fists. His fingernails have left red crescents on his palm. Minho looks away, back up to Jisung's face.

"I feel like everyone's looking at me," Jisung mutters. "Judging me, or- or something."

"Nobody's looking at you, it's just me," Minho says. "Don't worry about it. It's just me, yeah?"

"Okay." Jisung sucks in a breath, then nods his head determinedly, like he's trying to convince himself. "Okay. Just you. Okay."

Minho tugs at Jisung's wrist lightly. "Come on, I want to see your piece. Let's get away from the noise."

He pulls Jisung into the gallery, stopping only when he realises he has no idea where Jisung's piece is placed. The younger boy just laughs at him, shaking his head before taking the lead instead. Pushing past groups of people scattered around each piece, Minho's prediction is proved right. There's less people concentrated here, further from the entrance. Jisung seems more relaxed when everyone's eyes is focused on the art instead of him. He points a few paintings done by his classmates, and Minho hums in appreciation. He's more of a science person, but he can't help but admire every detail that went into creating these works of art. It just makes him more excited to see Jisung's piece, when he's been lauded as a _genius._

"Oh, by the way, you've never told me why your first piece was rejected," Minho says suddenly, making Jisung stop in his tracks and face him. He searches Jisung's face for any sign of discomfort. "Am... Am I allowed to know?"

Jisung bites his lip, and Minho waits patiently until he speaks, in a small voice. "Well, you know the theme for this showcase is inspiration, right?"

He nods, thinking about the exhibition catalogue tucked into his jacket. Jisung gives a half-shrug. "Well, a lot of my art is based around- around my parents. I told you this before, right? Not all of it is cheerful, honestly, most of it can be pretty depressing. So I submitted a piece that was messy and dark, because lots of my art is like that. Inspired by my own emotions."

Minho swallows around the lump in his throat. Sometimes he lies awake at night, wondering how someone as bright and wonderful as Jisung can keep so many shadows locked inside them. He tries his best to be there for the younger boy, and there have been times when he crosses the line and Jisung shuts him out, but he doesn't mean to. He just believes that Jisung should have someone to love him as much as he deserves, and chase away the darkness with the same kind of light Jisung brings to the world.

"The board of directors rejected the piece because they felt like it didn't match the theme. Honestly, I felt like it was unfair at first. Who were they to decide what inspired my art, you know? But later, my professor spoke to me outside of class. She told me that inspiration didn't exactly have to go into my art. She said inspiration applies to life, too. That you could get inspired to change your thinking, or live differently, or to be a better person. And that's the direction I went with for this piece, and it got accepted."

Jisung cocks his head, smiling gently. "I'm glad this piece got chosen, rather than the first. It's probably the happiest piece I've ever created."

Minho smiles back at him. There it is. There's the light.

"It's just around the next corner," Jisung squeezes his hand. Minho looks down, surprised. He'd forgotten that they were linking hands; their hands fit naturally, Jisung's fingers slotting perfectly into the spaces between Minho's. "You want to go?"

"Like I haven't been talking about seeing it for ages," Minho laughs. He's suddenly and acutely nervous, though about what, he isn't sure. He lets Jisung drag him along, past a dozen paintings until he halts, right before the corner turns.

"It's the one at the end," Jisung tells him. He blinks twice in quick succession, then laughs shortly, nervously. "I'm really hoping you like it, hyung."

They turn the corner in two steps, and Minho's breath catches when his eyes land on Jisung's piece.

It's him. Jisung painted him, surrounded by flat blue shades. The likeness of his cat-like smile and fluffy brown hair is captured with every stroke. The Minho in the painting is wearing his scrubs, sitting back on his haunches. His arms are outstretched, and woven around his fingers are red strings, connected to a golden heart that shines between his palms. He's playing with heartstrings like cat's cradle, but it doesn't stop there. The strings extend so one is tangled around the paws of a playful white kitten, and another is used for a game of tug-of-war between a black German Shepherd puppy and a pit bull puppy, and the last is connected to the leash of a Golden Retriever puppy with a bandaged leg. He's smiling down at all of them with such genuine fondness Minho can't quite believe the emotion is portrayed with paint.

Minho draws closer to the painting, eyes darting from detail to detail. The only time his eyes leave the piece itself is to read the description card beside it. _Han Jisung, Heart Work. Oil on canvas._ It says, and underneath is a short line that is explicitly Jisung's writing. _The only person I know who can emit warmth and passion without even trying._

Abruptly, Minho turns around to face a tense-looking Jisung. "Let's get out of here."

"Wha- What?" Jisung's eyes go wide. "Why? Do you not like it, or-"

"Because if we don't, I'm going to kiss you right here, where all your professors could drop by at any moment, and I doubt that would be conducive to your school life."

"I- Sorry, _what?"_

Minho doesn't answer, merely curling his fingers around Jisung's wrist and pulling him behind as he weaves his way back to the entrance of the gallery. Jisung stumbles a couple times, but Minho doesn't stop, adrenaline keeping him going. He's weirdly calm for having said what he said. Most days he's plagued with indecision over what to do about Jisung, whether he should tell him or not, but the only thing he sees in his mind's eye is the metallic shine of a heart of gold.

The lobby of the gallery is empty, but just in case, Minho leads them to the furthest corner, partially hidden from everyone else by a wall. Finally, finally he turns to Jisung, just to see him slack-jawed and slightly dazed, like he hasn't recovered from Minho's words.

Minho steps closer to him, so close his face is mere centimeters away from Jisung's, and instinctively, Jisung's hands come up between them. They touch Minho's stomach, and the older boy snickers when Jisung colours and moves his hands up Minho's shoulders.

"Thank you for painting that," Minho says quietly, his lips hovering just above Jisung's own. His heart is pounding so loudly he's certain Jisung can hear it in such close proximity. "I loved it."

It's Jisung who closes the distance. He tastes slightly of champagne, and pressed together, his usual smell of peaches is strong enough to intoxicate. Minho forgets everything after that, because he curls his fingers into Jisung's hair, and the other boy makes a happy humming sound that sparks electricity in Minho's bones. He only pulls away when he realises that Jisung is trembling, just a little.

"You're shaking," Minho says, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I- yeah," Jisung says, taking a breath. "It's been an anxious day, and then we- we kissed, and I'm a little all over the place right now."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Jisung buries his face in Minho's shoulder, and Minho loops his arms around Jisung's waist, his cheek pillowed against Jisung's head. "I-I'm really happy. Really."

"Me too," Minho says, and he can feel Jisung smile against his shoulder.

They stay like that for a minute, Minho silently soaking in Jisung's warmth before he sighs, pulling back and tapping Jisung's waist. "Come on, you have to go back to the showcase."

"I wish I didn't," Jisung mutters, and that startles a laugh out of Minho. "Stop, you worked so hard for it."

Jisung lets out a long-suffering, exaggerated sigh, but he steps out of Minho's arms. The older boy misses it immediately. "Okay, I'm going. But we're talking about, uhm, this, later."

"Of course," Minho grins. _Later_ bounces around inside his head like a game of pinball. "Can't wait."

☂

Minho ends up bringing Jisung back to his apartment anyway, because he has two cups of instant ramyeon in his kitchen cupboard and also because he doesn't think he could have this conversation out in public. The apartment is dark when they enters, and Changbin's shoes are absent from the rack. He and Jisung hang up their coats next to each other and leave their shoes scattered haphazardly in the tiny hallway. Minho boils the water and cooks the ramyeon in relative silence, broken only by questions about Jisung's ramyeon preference called to the living room, like they had been in the car. Jisung had been uncharacteristically quiet, staring out the car window and drumming his fingers against the center console. Minho didn't attempt to start a conversation with his tongue feeling like sandpaper inside his mouth.

The rest of the showcase went by in a blur of antsy pacing inside the gallery. Jisung had to go talk to his professors, to the people singing his praises for his art, and Minho tried to leave him to his own devices. He had taken a walk around the entire gallery, looking at the rest of the works and complimenting the students who were standing next to their piece, but he was so distracted he nearly walked into an exhibition of glass sculptures while ghosting his fingers over his lips. Really, he was just waiting for it to end so he could have Jisung's full attention, but now that he does, he doesn't quite know how to start.

He gingerly carries the cups of ramyeon into the living room, chopsticks balanced on top of the lids. Jisung has taken off his blazer, slinging it over the arm of the couch, and unsurprisingly, he's lying on his back with Byeol on his chest. The kitten is purring so loudly Minho can hear it from where he's standing, leaning her head into Jisung's touch as he scratches her ears. Jisung sits up when Minho sets the ramyeon down on the coffee table, and Byeol meows in complaint when he lifts her away from her comfortable position on him, but she settles down again when he deposits her on the couch.

"It's still hot, be careful," Minho chides when Jisung picks up the chopsticks and peels back the lid. It's eleven at night, and he's probably hungry after standing around at the showcase for so long, but he takes in Minho's words and takes a cautious bite. They eat quietly, Minho glancing up from his ramyeon every now and then to look at Jisung. His cheeks puff up every time he takes another bite, and Minho is too distracted to tease him about his squirrel-like habits like he normally would. Even though he does look like one.

"Jisungie," he starts, and Jisung looks up at him quickly, too quickly, like he's been waiting for it. His heart gets stuck in his throat before he can get the words out, and instead he goes with the safer question. "Why did you paint me? I mean, you could have chosen Felix, and Woojin-hyung and Chan-hyung. Why me?"

Jisung swallows before answering with a question of his own, a thoughtful look on his face. "Did you read the description card?"

Minho nods, and Jisung continues. "That's the short answer. The long answer is, when I brought in Byeol for the first time, you immediately took care of her even though the shelter was already closed. You bought me kimbap and banana milk because I told you I hadn't eaten dinner, and you didn't even know me. You gave me your umbrella, and now I know that the bus stop is five minutes away from your house so you had to run through the rain because of it. You treat me to meals, and every single time you say I can just pay next time, but you always pay. You gave Byeol a home and you always say she loves me more, but you spoil her all the same. You cherish your friends; you smile more when they're happy and you take care of them in small ways. You show the same warmth and love to every animal that comes to the shelter and look after them like they're your own. You calm me down when I'm anxious and even if I get distant or have a bad day, you've never stopped being there for me. You keep me grounded. You're my inspiration to be as good as you."

Oh, God. This was not the safer question. The promise he made to Jungwoo echoes distantly. _Let's make a promise, then. If he does something, anything, that tells you how much he cares about you, then you'll confess to him._ Minho swallows thickly.

Jisung has cut himself off, watching Minho thoughtfully, and when he speaks again, his voice is quiet. "You think nobody notices what a good person you are, but I do. I notice. I pay attention to you, too."

Minho doesn't know what to say, so he says the only thought he has on his mind. "After all those sweet words, you better be prepared to be my boyfriend, Han Jisung."

Jisung's smile is beautiful. "I've been prepared from the start, hyung."

There's no way to describe how Minho feels. It's foreign, exciting, fireworks exploding in his chest and adrenaline pumping through his veins, but comfortable, honey drizzling into his throat and flowers blooming inside his ribcage. Like he knew this was going to happen. Like it was meant to be this way, somehow or another. He pats the space next to him. "Come here."

Jisung obliges, shuffling until he's pressed up against Minho's side. They lean back against the couch, and in a burst of confidence, Minho kisses the top of Jisung's head. "You're stuck with me now."

The younger boy giggles, drawing his knees up to his chest. "Doesn't feel real, does it?"

"Not really," Minho says, and then, just to test it out, "We're boyfriends. Boyfriends. I'm dating Jisungie and we're gonna do gross shit all the time just to piss everyone off. Boyfrieeeeends. We're the best boyfriends in the world."

"What are you doing, weirdo?" Jisung hits him on the thigh lightly. "If you say it so many times it's not gonna sound like a word anymore."

"I'm just practising for when we have to tell our friends," Minho whines, rubbing his thigh although it didn't hurt in the least. Jisung grabs his hand to stop him, and Minho thinks he's going to playfully wrestle his hand away and say, _"Stop pretending, I didn't hit you that hard,"_ like he's done a dozen times before, but instead he interlaces their fingers and rests their linked hands on his own thigh. 

"Ah, can you imagine their reactions?" Jisung says nonchalantly before Minho can react to the unexpected affection. "They've been waiting for this, I think. I didn't tell you because I was embarrassed, but I heard Woojin-hyung and Chan-hyung talking a couple months ago. Chan-hyung bet that I would kiss you first, and Woojin-hyung bet on you. Too bad, Woojin-hyung owes Chan-hyung thirty thousand won now."

Minho looks at him with squinted eyes, the act of holding hands forgotten. "What are you talking about? _You_ kissed _me._ "

"Nuh-uh, you clearly leaned in first," Jisung says childishly. Minho can't believe they're bickering like this, five minutes after being disgustingly sweet with each other, but he supposes that it's to be expected. It's a surprisingly nice feeling, knowing that their dynamic hasn't changed at all, even when they're dating. He was worried for nothing.

"Well, I _definitely_ remember you actually taking the last step and pressing your lips to mine," Minho retorts, just to be difficult. Jisung narrows his eyes at him, and he looks so cute, his cheeks slightly puffed out in frustration and his pouty face tilted up at him, but Minho refuses to break. Chan's wallet is at stake here.

"Is your memory getting worse from old age, Lee Minho? You kissed me. I'll go down defending Woojin-hyung's honour," Jisung declares. Minho uses his free hand to flick him on the forehead.

"No honorifics for me? Wow, you're getting bold, you little know-it-all."

"You let me do whatever I want, you can only blame yourself," Jisung smirks, and Minho can't even deny it. He merely huffs, and Jisung laughs at his silent admission of defeat. "I'll make you a deal."

He shifts closer and drops his gaze to Minho's lips before flicking it back to Minho's eyes. A tingle of anticipation makes Minho shiver. Jisung definitely notices, if his widening smile is anything to go by. "I'll take responsibility for our second kiss if you account for the first one."

Minho finds himself smiling, even though he's clearly being manipulated here. "Deal," he agrees, as if it were ever a question, and Jisung leans in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaand that's a wrap! last official chapter of this fic is finally up :") sorry it took so long but i hope it was worth the wait!! there's only the epilogue left and i'm probably not gonna take as long to finish it bc i've been looking forward to writing it since i started this fic ajdksfdjk
> 
> anyway! they finally kissed after five months, 38k words and a hell lot of internal frustration lmao. thanks for coming on this slow burn minsung journey with me! love you guys xx see y'all in the epilogue
> 
> i finally got a [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/4419_) pls send me things so i feel validated


	12. epilogue: wild wild wild

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh wow... it's really the end :") the end notes will be super long and sappy so i'll spare you up here
> 
> fair warning: there's a make-out scene in here but no smut. sorry/you're welcome depending on your view of that

The smell of paint still lingers, faint but definitely there. Minho wrinkles his nose, tempted to open the windows and air out the apartment if he wouldn't be inviting pneumonia to bite him in the ass. Instead, he digs a scented candle out from one of the boxes next to the door and lights it, and within minutes the scent of oranges and cinnamon floats around the living room. He smiles, pleased. Now he just has to remember that he left it on the drawers before it becomes a fire hazard.

It's nearly sunset, and Jisung should be back soon. Minho grabs his phone from where he chucked it onto the kitchen island earlier and sends him a quick text.

**moonho ☾**  
how's the princess?

He waits a couple minutes, but the message remains unread, the little yellow '1' next to the text bubble stubbornly refusing to disappear. So he switches over to his music application instead, pulling up a playlist of Dean songs and putting it on shuffle. _Bonnie & Clyde_ begins blasting out loud, and he sings along as he dances his way into the bedroom. The queen-sized bed was a hassle to move in, but he feels a odd sense of warmth blooming inside when he lays eyes on it. It's not like him and Jisung haven't shared a bed before, but this is one they picked out for themselves, together. It's weird, but after the whole new, exciting process of moving in, what he's most looking forward to is going to sleep tonight with Jisung next to him.

Unfortunately, it's not looking very appealing right now. The mattress is bare and there are boxes and bundles scattered all around the room. Minho's too tired to do anything about the mess right now, but he rummages through the boxes until he finds the bed sheets and pillow cases, humming along as _Bonnie & Clyde_ changes to _instagram,_ then _Come Over._ He's about halfway through fitting the bed sheets on the bed when the music is abruptly cut off by the chime of an incoming message, and he leaves his task for a second to check it.

 **jisun ☼**  
being loud in the car  
as usual

Minho grins. Byeol isn't a kitten anymore, but she still gets exceedingly grumpy when forced to go on car rides. Minho hasn't ever seen her as unhappy as she is in a moving vehicle, not even when she gets vaccinations. 

The implications of the messages sink in at that moment, and Minho snaps out of it, rapidly typing an angry reply.

**moonho ☾**  
are you texting while driving?  
han jisung!!!!  
get off your phone and look  
at the road!!!!

**jisun ☼**  
don't worry hyung! i'm using  
that automated voice  
recording thing isn't it cool byeol  
byeol stop don't tip your carrier  
over jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj

Minho snorts, knowing his boyfriend well enough that he can guess what happened just before he hurriedly jabbed at his phone to stop the voice-recording feature. He sends one more warning text to Jisung, telling him to stay off his phone and keep his eyes on the road, and that if he gets one more message from Jisung he'll be sleeping on the couch tonight. Satisfied, he resumes his playlist and, with a bit of effort, manages to get the bed sheets over the entirety of the bed. He grabs the pillows, still packed nicely in giant tote bags, from where they're leaning against the wall and starts pulling the pillow cases over them.

It's been a long time coming, he thinks, them moving in together. Truthfully, he would have asked his boyfriend way sooner, but Jisung had already planned to room with Felix after they graduated, and so they lived just a few streets down from Minho and Changbin while Jisung was working through the first few months of his studio internship. Besides, it wasn't as if he could leave Changbin with no roommate. But now Changbin's sister is starting university in the summer, so of course, being the protective older brother he is, Changbin offered to share an apartment with her. Felix, when Minho sneakily asked whether it would be okay if Jisung moved in with him instead, confessed that he'd been meaning to live with his boyfriend anyway. Jisung had cried a little when Minho asked him to find an apartment together, but he was the one who was hugging Minho and teasing him when the older boy got teary-eyed while signing their papers.

Minho unpacks Jisung's giant pig plushie from where it's carefully placed between pillows. Technically, it's from Jisung's childhood, and Jisung told him that he couldn't sleep without it when he was a kid, because it was a rare gift from his father and it reminded him that his parents were capable of emotion after all.

Over the previous autumn, Dr Park had proposed the possibility of Jisung going back to visit his parents. He had said it was for _closure_ , or something of that sort; Minho was hardly listening over the roaring instinct to keep Jisung far, far away from the two people who had hurt him the most. It had taken up the topic of discussion in multiple therapy sessions and cumulated in an anxiety attack that left Jisung shaky and soaking Minho's shirt with tears for nearly half an hour, but Jisung, for reasons beyond Minho's comprehension, agreed with Dr Park. They flew out to Malaysia the week before Christmas, leaving the frigid Korean winter for tropical humidity. The warm climate did nothing to abate the icy feeling Minho felt spreading through his body every time he thought about Jisung meeting his parents again.

Jisung had struck up a compromise with Dr Park: he would meet with his father, but not his mother. Two days after they landed, Jisung went to meet his father near his office building, leaving Minho to pace inside their hotel room, too keyed up to eat. The rational part of him understood why Jisung hadn't brought him along; the irrational part ached to break Jisung's father's jaw, which was also probably the reason Jisung hadn't asked him to come in the first place. Jisung had come back two hours later, carrying a big bag and the pig plushie, and Minho had hugged him so tightly he was scared he bruised Jisung's ribs. The meeting hadn't gone spectacularly well, but nobody had been expecting it to. Jisung's father didn't apologise, and he had a distinctly pinched look on his face when Jisung mentioned his boyfriend, but what could he do? His son had been living outside of his care for four years. He had an apartment, a university degree, a significant other, a life outside of his biological family. He wasn't exactly his son anymore. He was a better version of himself, slowly getting better and happier than he had ever been.

It hadn't gone well, but it hadn't gone badly either. Before they parted, he handed Jisung the bag of his old belongings. "I kept it where your mother couldn't find it and throw it out," he had said, and at that part of retelling the sequence of events, Jisung had started crying.

The rest of the trip was spent in a much happier mood, and as much as Minho loathed to admit it, it seemed that the meeting with his father had left Jisung in lighter spirits. He laughed loudly every time Minho attempted to speak basic Malay to the shop keepers and skipped down the busy streets and kissed Minho in public once, for a picture in front of the Petronas Twin Towers as the sun set and painted the sky orange. They ate _bak kut teh_ and _nasi goreng_ , and visited all the tourist locations with Jisung acting as a terribly unreliable tour guide, and returned to Korea slightly sunburned and more sensitive to the subzero temperature. Minho actually enjoyed himself, in those last five days, and he secretly thought that another trip to Malaysia would honestly be really fun. Before that, though, he made a mental note to tell his parents to shower Jisung with tons of familial affection and home cooked food the next time they visited.

Minho hears the sound of the lock clicking as the opening notes of _What 2 Do_ filter through his phone's speakers, completely derailing Minho's train of thought, and he shrugs off the memories, wanting to welcome Jisung back. He's still got a few pillows leftover, but he leaves them be, grabbing Jisung's pig plushie off the bed and hugging it as he ventures out into the living room. Their new apartment has a little patio area for them to put their shoes rather than a hallway, and Minho can lean against the doorway to the bedrooms and just look at Jisung coming in, so he does.

"It smells nice in here. Did you light a candle?" Jisung asks as he toes off his shoes. His jacket is too big on him and his dark blue hair keeps flopping into his face. His cheeks are bitten pink by the wind outside. Byeol's crate is set next to him, a quiet meow escaping before he puts his fingers to the bars of the door and calms her down. Minho is in love. He doesn't mention it.

"Yeah, it's the orange and cinnamon one," he says instead. "Take off your jacket, I called the landlady and the heating works now."

"Oh, thank God," Jisung murmurs, shrugging off his jacket as Minho sets the plushie down and kneels in front of Byeol's crate. A pair of big brown eyes greets him, blinking slowly as she takes in the smell of the new apartment. They already brought her here a couple times before moving in, just so she could get used to the area, but she stayed with Changbin while they moved everything in today, so she wouldn't get in the way. The landlady, an elderly woman with wrinkles from how much she smiles and pictures of her grandchildren all over her apartment, was totally enamoured from the first time they brought Byeol here, to certify that she was vaccinated and spayed. There's already a bag of cat treats on the kitchen counter, a welcome present that had been placed there before they started moving their things in.

Minho unlatches the door of the crate, then takes a few steps back. Byeol pokes her head out cautiously, surveying the area, but she steps out of the crate without much fear. She sniffs the floor as she goes, then starts rubbing her head against Minho's ankles, meowing insistently. He laughs, picking her up and cradling her to his chest. "How do you like our new place, princess?" He asks.

She doesn't seem to reply, far more invested in snuggling into the crook of Minho's neck. He gives up on an answer, just kissing her on the head and bouncing her like a baby. Jisung comes over, having shedded his jacket so that he's just wearing his hoodie underneath. He's pouting. "No fair! I want a kiss too."

"Boys who drive while texting don't deserve kisses," Minho sticks his tongue out childishly, turning away so that Byeol is shielded from Jisung. She lets out a loud huff, agreeing with him, and Minho strokes her soothingly. Jisung pouts harder, and Minho fights the urge to just laugh and give in, like he always does. "I wasn't texting! I was just talking to my phone, okay, my eyes were on the road the whole time. I promise!"

"Why don't I believe you?" Minho rolls his eyes. "I know you, Han Jisung, and you probably turned around at every red light to check on her. That's why I always drive!"

"Okay, maybe I did do that," Jisung huffs, turning away, and Minho instantly feels bad. "But I can't help it. I have to check."

Minho sighs, setting Byeol down on the floor. She scurries away to hide under the coffee table, rubbing her fur around all the table legs. Now with his hands free, Minho takes Jisung by the wrist and leads him to the couch. He grabs the pig plushie and sets it against the armrest, sinking into it, and pats the space next to him. "Come here," he says, and Jisung complies, albeit reluctantly, but still settling down and leaning against his chest. Minho winds his arms around Jisung's waist loosely, turning his head so he can press a quick kiss to Jisung's cheek.

"No bad thoughts today," he says quietly. "I'm sorry for bringing it up, baby. But we've got a new apartment, and it's all ours. Tonight, we're gonna go to sleep in our new big bed, and you're gonna steal all the blankets because you're selfish when you're asleep. And in the morning, our dumb cat is gonna wake us up by jumping on our faces and shedding all over. I'll make breakfast and we'll clean the house up before the others come over. Everything's good right now."

Minho feels Jisung exhale, his body melting into Minho's embrace. His voice is small, but amused. "Don't call her dumb, she's right there. She'll get mad at us and refuse to eat her dinner."

They laugh, casting glances to where Byeol is stretched out on the hardwood floor under the coffee table, and Minho knows he's forgiven. Even with the heating on, Jisung is a comforting, warm weight, his fluffy hair lightly tickling the side of Minho's neck. Minho knows that he's wearing his hoodie, the line of having their own clothes blurred after swapping and sharing for so long. Jisung is relaxed, his fingers gently looped around Minho's clasped hands, and his smile is bright and heart-shaped. Minho wants to bottle up the feeling of right now and store it with all the other little moments that remind him, with a exhilarating jolt, about how lucky he is.

"Did I ever tell you?" He says, a little abruptly, but Jisung just looks up at him from where his head is pillowed on Minho's shoulder, probably used to his sudden changes in conversation by now. "That I knew who you were before you showed up on my doorstep with Byeollie."

"No," Jisung hums, playing with Minho's fingers. He seems unbothered by the revelation. "Why? Did Hyunjin and Seungmin mention me or something?"

"Nah, they didn't really know you either," Minho says. "You walked past the shelter almost everyday, remember? And you would stop to talk to the volunteers and pet the dogs outside. I was always on front desk duty, so I saw you every time."

Jisung grins. "Oh, really? What made you notice me? My dashing good looks?"

"Something like that," Minho shoots back. He smirks, letting his voice get slightly flirty. "Not in so many words. I just thought you were the cutest boy I'd ever laid eyes on."

He laughs when he sees pink rising in Jisung's cheeks, all too aware of the effect he still has on Jisung, even though they've been dating for a while and Minho spends half the time they have together on flirting with him as though they were still on their first date. Jisung whines and buries his face into the crook of Minho's neck, his voice muffled. "Shut up. That's more words than what I said in the first place."

"Semantics, baby," Minho coos. "I was calling you pretty, just take the compliment."

Jisung pulls away so he can look Minho in the face. He's still blushing, just a little, but he's also smiling, soft and tinged mischief. Fondness tints Minho's vision with a shade of rosy; he wants Jisung to look at him like this, all the time. He looks a vaguely unpredictable kind of delighted, like he's going to say something that's going to make Minho want to smack him or kiss him, or both. He looks happy. 

"Hm, I don't think I quite believe you. Care to elaborate?" Jisung says, coy and faux-modest. Minho rolls his eyes skyward. He knew this was coming, but honestly, does Jisung's ego really need stroking?

He's still unbelievably whipped though, and he knows how to play this game so that he can win. Jisung likes to put up the pretense of cockiness, but he caves in the face of Minho's sincerity. And Minho, of course, uses that to his advantage endlessly. He likes seeing Jisung flustered. So he kisses the tip of Jisung's nose, feather-light, and smiles at him earnestly. "You're beautiful and talented and strong, and I'm so fucking lucky I can call you mine."

Minho can see the exact moment Jisung melts. His cheeks are rosy and he tries to hide his smile behind his hand, but Minho pries it away gently. Jisung kisses the back of Minho's hand, as if he were a lady being courted in the Victorian times. It feels a little ridiculous and a lot like being in love.

"Can you believe it's been nearly a year?" Jisung murmurs. "One whole year together. That's crazy."

"Maybe," Minho hums. He kisses the line of Jisung's jaw, making him laugh and squeal something about being ticklish, but he doesn't protest when Minho does it again. "Not so crazy when you consider how many more years there are to come. The rest of our lives, really."

Jisung stills on top of him, turning his head so that his pretty brown eyes meet Minho's, wide and startled. "Did you just semi-propose to me?"

"So what if I did?" Minho huffs a laugh into Jisung's shoulder, feeling a dizzying flare of confidence that contrasts the foxtrot his heartbeat is dancing in his chest. 

"We're lying on the couch, tired from moving furniture all day and more than halfway to sticking our tongues down each other's throats," Jisung snorts, poking Minho in the arm. A rush of overwhelming and amused affection overcomes the burst of confidence, and he just wants Jisung to stop talking and kiss him already. "Get back to me in a few years with flowers and a ring, yeah?"

"Mmm, sure," Minho mumbles, ghosting his lips over Jisung's neck and feeling him shiver. "I can wait a few years. Only for you, Jisungie."

Jisung hooks his fingers under Minho's chin and tilt his face upwards. "I never thought I'd say this, but you are so fucking hot when you talk about marrying me," he breathes, and then they're kissing, slow and easy. Minho's mind doesn't blank — if he spaced every time Jisung kissed him, he'd probably have brained himself on their kitchen counter or something equally stupid and fatal — but everything becomes muted around him. His senses are hyper-focused on Jisung; the feeling of his soft hair tangled around Minho's fingers, the scent of peaches and soap sweeter than ever amid the citrus and spice floating around the room, the pressure of his mouth against Minho's, the heat radiating off Jisung's skin when he slips his hands under his hoodie.

Minho could have memorised the taste of Jisung's lips by now, and he's certainly had all the means to, but it still sends something pleasantly electric through his veins. His hands wander under the loose fabric of the hoodie, tracing the line of his waist and lower back. His boyfriend has the higher body temperature between the two of them, but if he has any negative reaction to Minho's likely freezing hands on his bare skin, he doesn't show it, only kissing him with a tenderness that leaves Minho dizzy even with his eyes closed. He pulls away abruptly, and Minho's eyes flutter open, confused. He almost _whines,_ before he catches himself and manages to steel himself against the sudden loss of contact. Jisung's lips are slick with saliva, and Minho's eyes follows the way they shine in the light, as Jisung sits up, Minho's hands still resting on his waist.

Jisung, instead of climbing off him like Minho had been half-expecting, swings one leg over Minho's lap and straddles him. _Oh._ Well, this is fun. Minho raises an eyebrow, a smirk already crawling onto his face, but Jisung kisses it right off, his hands coming up to cup Minho's face. Minho responds with enthusiasm, kissing him sweetly before biting lightly at his bottom lip. Sparklers whiz inside his stomach as Jisung parts his lips, an invitation for Minho to slide his tongue in. Minho licks the inside of his mouth, and Jisung makes the same breathy, humming sound that drove Minho crazy during their first kiss. Something in Minho snaps, and then quickly rekindles, spreading like wildfire through his body. He pulls back slightly, breathing heavy, their noses still touching. Jisung's cheeks are flushed alarmingly, and Minho doesn't have to look at his lips to know they're swollen.

"Baby, we have a perfectly good bed," he murmurs, his voice low and alluring. Jisung hums, impatient, his fingers stroking Minho's jaw and distracting him, but not enough to deter him from getting them to the bedroom. "Why are we still out here when we could move it ther- fucking _OW!"_

Jisung jerks back violently as a heavy, yowling body of white fur quite literally catapults in between them, landing right on Minho's face. There's a few seconds of stunned silence where Byeol scrambles and Jisung just stares, before Byeol regains her balance on the top of Minho's head and turns her head to meow indignantly at Jisung, as if _he_ were the one responsible for placing her in such a precarious position. Hurriedly, he lifts her off him, worried that his boyfriend's eyes could have accidentally been clawed out. Instead, he's greeted with an unharmed, though extremely disgruntled, Minho. He fixes Byeol with a glare and sputters to get rid of the taste of cat fur. It sends Jisung over the edge, and he dissolves into hysterics, still holding a grumpy Byeol as he doubles over in laughter.

"This is _not_ funny," Minho says, even though it kind of is. Still, he retracts his hands from Jisung's waist to cross his arms over his chest, faking at annoyance. "Why did you insist on adopting the biggest cockblocker of all cats?"

"If I remember correctly, dumbass, _you_ were the one who adopted her," Jisung says in between giggles. Minho rolls his eyes, but he's fighting a smile as he jabs a finger towards Byeol. The cat regards it coolly, as though it were a harmless, inconsequential fly. "Drama queen," he accuses, and Jisung pulls her closer to his chest protectively.

"Oh, stop it, she's probably just hungry. It's around her dinner time," Jisung says, already standing with Byeol still cradled in his arms. She meows, looking extremely content in Jisung's embrace, and even though Minho sticks his tongue out at her, everyone in the room knows he'll be stroking her ears when she comes running to him after her dinner.

"There's no point in hoping for round two of making out after you feed her, is there?" Minho sighs, leaning back on the couch, the pig plushie still wedged between his back and the armrest. He wonders when he started letting his sex life be dictated by his fucking cat.

"Absolutely not. I don't want to taste saliva that's been contaminated by cat fur," Jisung sing-songs, letting Byeol down so he can dig through one of the nearby boxes for her canned food and bowls. Byeol circles the box as Minho objects violently to the statement, pointing out that Jisung kisses Byeol all the damn time, but his boyfriend just laughs off all his claims and sets up Byeol's bowls in the kitchen. Minho listens to the sound of Jisung moving around in there, giving Byeol her dinner and filling her water bowl, with his eyes half-lidded. He's pretty tired anyway; now that his mind isn't completely fogged up with hormones, he finds he's pretty content with the idea of just eating a simple dinner with Jisung and then going to bed. He groans quietly when the thought occurs to him, swiping a hand over his face. His friends are right; they're becoming more and more married by the day.

He feels Jisung settling back down, sitting in the space between Minho's legs and resting his thighs on Minho's, and opens his eyes to see Jisung already smiling cutely at him, his hands placed on his thighs as he leans forward. "The princess has been subdued," he declares in a silly, dramatic voice. 

Minho snorts. "Oh yeah? Did you lock her up in a tower with a dragon to guard her?"

Jisung looks appropriately offended, placing a hand over his chest. "Hell no. We both know she'd start whining in two seconds, and I'd go up to rescue her and reduce noise pollution."

"You're her Prince Charming," Minho teases, reaching out to intertwine their fingers. Jisung complies easily, but he's hardly thinking about it, still biting his lip in thought about their hypothetical royalty scenario. "No, that's not right," he finally decides. "I'm more like her dad, aren't I? So I'd be the king."

"Okay then, King Jisung, what am I in this fantasy universe?" Minho asks, smiling. He wonders if he'll see this exact scene in one of Jisung's pieces in the near future: a cat princess with a fire-breathing dragon perched atop her tower, a king scaling the walls to rescue his baby. That'd be funny, even if Jisung's studio manager might not approve.

Jisung hums, then snaps the fingers of his free hand. "You're my knight in shining armour," he says, and Minho feels his heart squeeze. Jisung's grin turns cheeky, and he adds, "We fell in love illegally and I ran away with you the night before the wedding of my arranged marriage."

"Scandalous," Minho comments, and they both laugh before settling into a comfortable silence. Minho takes the time to soak it all in, like he always does in the moments he's not bickering with Jisung about a million different things. They have an apartment all to themselves, though they're unlikely to make use of it until they can find a way to barricade their cat in the kitchen. It's cold out and the place is still littered with mess, but he lit a scented candle, and the entire room smells tangy and sweet. They'll go to bed tonight, probably exhausted after more unpacking, probably laughing under their breaths about something stupid, and Minho will fall asleep with Jisung cuddling him from behind. Tomorrow, their whole group of loud, annoying, wonderful friends will come over for a housewarming party. Chan and Woojin will get them something sensible for their housewarming gift, like a blender, and Changbin will give him an ugly sweater, because over the past year he's found increasingly stupid excuses to gift Minho an ugly sweater. Jisung thinks it's hilarious. Minho does not. He has yet to accept a single one.

Jisung. Jisung is seated in his lap, their hands linked and resting on his thigh. He's wearing Minho's hoodie, and it's too big on him, and Minho has always loved that all of clothes swallow Jisung and turn his hands into sweater paws. His blue hair is messy and mesmerising, and Minho wonders what shade he'll do next, because before he dyed it blue on his birthday, it was bright orange for his graduation. He's looking at Minho like there's nothing else he would rather be doing right now than sit here with him, enjoying the quiet, and Minho can't say he doesn't feel the same. Being with him is so easy, it's as natural as breathing. Minho is in love. He mentions it, this time.

"I love you," he says, only a little embarrassed at how affectionate his voice is. Jisung, to his credit, doesn't tease him.

"I love you," Jisung says right back, just as open, just as fond. Then, because he would hardly be Jisung if he didn't inject a little humour into the situation, he flutter his eyelashes and says in a sickly sweet voice, "I love you more."

Minho grins. He and Jisung had caught Hyunjin's grossly lovey-dovey conversation on the phone, while working no less, and haven't stopped teasing even though it's been months. Every single time, he is reminded why he's dating Jisung and not Hyunjin's PDA-inclined ass. He puckers his lips and parrots the customary response. "I love you most." He wrinkles his nose and reverts back to his normal voice. "Even if we didn't get to make out because of our dumb cat."

"It's okay," Jisung says, squeezing Minho's hand. His smile is brilliant. "We've got plenty of time for that. The rest of our lives, really."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's a wrap folks! it's been a really long ride, hasn't it? i want to thank all of you for reading this, whether you were here from the beginning or just started reading today :") i've gotten to meet a lot of wonderful people through this fic and i'm really grateful for all the readers and friends who sent encouraging comments and tweets, y'all are greatly appreciated! ngl i learned a lot from writing this fic and i promise to write better in the future <3
> 
> i think a number of you guys have gotten attached to this universe... don't worry, i have too (;﹏;) but this is the first work in a series! there will be a hyunin sequel in june(?) and a seunglix one at the end of the year, so if you wanna uhh stick around for that you can subscribe to the series (or me!) i'll probably be posting other fics in the mean time too, unless school kills me first.
> 
> last thing i promise: i have a little [goodbye present](https://twitter.com/supergukkie/status/1109457360378949632) for you guys :") and that's all! send your headcanons for this au to my [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/4419_) and come find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/ghiblisminho) :D see you guys in june, if you decide to come back (￣▽￣)ノ

**Author's Note:**

> just in case you're a lil confused on their jobs:  
> minho - vet nurse  
> woojin - vet  
> chan - runs the shelter  
> changbin - tattoo artist
> 
> i'll try to get the next chapter up in a week or so but if i don't, please scream at me in the comments! updates will probably be irregular and the lengths of the chapters will vary bc i'm a piece of shit with 0 planning skills but bear with me lol
> 
> you should totally hmu on [twitter](https://twitter.com/ghiblisminho)


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